One Strange Occurrence
by Enigmaris
Summary: Severus was relaxing at the end of the year, happy to be rid of the dunderheads for the next few months. Harry Potter had been just as arrogant as he had thought he would be. It must be something in the Potter genes. Everything was as it should be until one moment. A moment that changed everything.
1. An Owl Outta Hell

**Well here is my newest story. It's been awhile since i posted things since college has kept me so busy. Now i'm able to post the things I've been working so hard on. This is going to be a very long story I know since it's already completed. The new chapters should come in pretty quickly depending on what kind of response i get from the first few chapters. Remember to review and tell me what you think!**

It is strange how one occurrence can change our entire outlook on life, change our fates, and change our lives so completely and utterly that we could not imagine living any other way. Occurrences like having a baby and holding it, realizing you brought a new and wonderful life into the world and that it is your responsibility. Or maybe a simple heartfelt statement that makes you rethink your whole world view. Sometimes a person does something that affects you so profoundly you see that other person as responsible for the new you.

Severus Snape, Youngest Potions Master in Britain, was about to have such a moment. He didn't know it of course but then again you rarely ever do. He had been relaxing after seeing the brats off. It had been one of the most hectic years in Hogwarts history. The savior of the wizarding world had started attending. The boy had fought trolls, ridden centaurs, faced a Cerberus, and defeated the Dark Lord for the second time. Those were just the things he knew about. No doubt the boy had done even more things Snape had not heard of.

Potter had proved himself to be everything Snape had feared. The boy was arrogant and defiant. He had no respect for anyone and thought himself above the rules. He was abysmal in potions and had obviously inherited nothing from his beautiful mother except her eyes. It was not at all difficult to hate the boy. The boy was so repulsive to Severus and was nothing but a carbon copy of his father but with a larger ego stoked to that size by his celebrity status.

It was at exactly 11:09 pm on June 15th that the world flipped upside down for the man. A normally crisp white owl that looked like it had just flown through hell, shot into his normally warded rooms. It, or should I say she, was carrying a rather bloody scrap of muggle paper. It flew straight into Severus' lap and began screeching up a storm demanding that he read the disgusting note.

"Get off of me you damn bloody bird. I'll read the bloody note!" Snape said pulling the note off of the bird's legs.

Snape of course recognized the owl as Potters. Who else would own such a noticeably pretentious owl? Snape felt that this must have been a prank who else but Potter would take the time to procure fake blood and write a note in it? Only the boy-who-lived-to-be-rude would try and pull an asinine prank like this. It was then that the smell assaulted the nostrils. That was real blood. Snape's heart stopped momentarily as he opened the note.

It read in shaky scrawl the letters thick and clumsy, something done by a finger and not a quill. A finger who was weak or frightened. It said three simple words that sent shivers down Snape's spine.

"HELP ME PLEASE"

It was at 11:13 that Snape appeared outside the house titled number four Privet Drive in Surrey. He had teleported there as soon as he realized what the note meant. He informed no one. Not bothering to floo call Albus or send a patronous he merely ran outside the wards and popped right outside the home. It was dark out and the lights were out. He disillusioned himself and unlocked the door to the house. He cast a point me charm to locate Potter. It led him upstairs. His skin crawled and prickled with sudden anxiety.

The upstairs like the rest of the house was immaculate all except for one door. This door unlike the rest had large visible locks and a cat flap. It would've looked almost comical if not for the stains. Stains in the shapes of splatters and hand prints in the sad color of dried blood. The brown color that denotes pains of the past. It was at 11:15 that the man dressed all in black began unlocking every single lock on the door. There were 9 of them total. All useless of course against a fully grown wizard but against an underage one it would likely keep them inside indefinitely.

The smell that burned Severus' nostrils and retinas was of acrid blood. He looked around and saw a bloody Potter leaning against a wall with a window half opened above it. There was fresh blood on the floors and walls. The boy was unconscious maybe even dead. Snape rushed in cast a quick spell to determine the boy's state.

He was alive but barely. Snape scooped up the boy carefully cradling his head. He summoned Potters things and heard them burst through a door somewhere before they arrived next to him. He saw that the school trunk had been chained shut. He banished the chains and then shrunk the trunk to fit in his pocket. He stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. He cast a confundus charm that would keep muggles away from the door until he could return.

He teleported straight to his rooms, not noticing that he had been able to apparate within Hogwarts. He thought of nothing but getting the boy stabilized he would contact others later. At 11:20 Snape set the too small boy down on the guest bed and wandlessly summoned his healer's bag. He worked feverishly and began healing wounds and pouring potions down the boy's throat in an attempt to stabilize him.

It was at 3:13 in the morning when the boy was stable and mostly healed. He had had 8 broken ribs, a heavily bruised stomach, a nearly punctured lung, a broken wrist, torn ligaments, and marks crisscrossing across the boys back made from a belt. Once the boy was stable Snape set a charm up to warn him if the boy woke. He placed the un-shrunk trunk near the bed. He then stomped over to the fire and floo called Minerva, Poppy and Albus demanding they come to his rooms immediately.

When the three irritable pajama clad individuals arrived in his rooms Snape sneered ignoring their grumbles and began his tale.

"Many hours ago I received a missive written in blood from the Potter brat." Severus said ignoring the gasps. "I went directly to his home and found the boy beaten to near death with a mixture of kicks and a belt. I took him straight back to my quarters and worked diligently until he was stabilized. I called you all in here to witness it and check on the boy yourself."

Poppy merely nodded and went in the direction Severus indicated her wand drawn. Severus completely exhausted sat down onto the couch ignoring the quiet cries of Minerva and the look on the headmasters face. Poppy returned minutes later her face grave.

"Severus you did an admirable job healing Mister Potter. I did a deep scan and found that the abuse isn't new. According to my chart it started when he was around two years old." Poppy began. "There are no signs of sexual abuse in his past but I wouldn't be surprised if it had happened."

At that admission Snape and Minerva both swore loudly while the room began to shake. Dumbledore's face was one of contorted rage. The books and trinkets in the room and on the walls were vibrating and some were even flying around the room. Magic induced wind whipped around the room. The power being released by the man froze the other three people in the room for none of them had ever truly seen Albus angry.

"Albus stop!" Snape shouted.

The magic abruptly ceased and things fell to the floor. Dumbledore shook his head and with a wave of his wand righted the room. Then Dumbledore collapsed and at 3:25 in the morning the man began to cry. He murmured thing about this being his greatest mistake and how he could never forgive himself. Minerva began storming around the room shouting and Poppy just stood there.

"Enough!" Snape roared. "Go to your rooms if you want to do this. Potter is resting and if you wake him up early it will only make things worse. I will floo call you all when he wakes up take this time to calm yourselves."

So everyone left and Snape went to his own room and collapsed. He was so tired that when the charm went off letting him know that Potter had awakened he slept through it. He did not even stir.


	2. A Visit to the House Elves

**Chapter 2! Yay! These chapters will be organized** **based off of point of view change so some may be pretty long while some may only be a couple of paragraphs. This one is a Harry POV, I made Harry more intelligent than he is in canon but I feel that Harry would've been more intelligent if his relatives had been physically abusive. Remember to review!**

Harry awoke and the first thing he noticed was the fact that he had been healed. As was his habit before opening his eyes he went through each part of his body to check if they were there and in working order. Toes? Wiggling. Legs? Sore. Fingers and Hands? Working. Arms? Also sore. Chest? Feels like a lump of pain. Neck? Rotating. Head? In one piece. Next he tried to recall what had happened.

He said goodbye to his friends on the platform and dragged his trunk towards his relatives. The ride home had been rather awful of course but Harry knew it was bound to be nothing compared to what was to come. When they got home his uncle ordered him to get into his room and be ready for punishment. He ran upstairs and got to his room and got into the position his uncle preferred for whipping.

He had heard his uncle dragging his trunk into the cupboard and locking it. He heard him stomp up the stairs. The belt was already off when the man opened the door. Harry gulped and prepared himself for the punishment.

What happened next was a blur. He had been whipped with the belt and sometimes with the belt buckle. When he had finally collapsed and his uncle's arm had gotten tired he had started kicking him. After what felt like an eternity of pain the man left. Harry laid there in a pool of his own blood for a long time and probably would've stayed that way if it hadn't been for the tapping of Hedwig on the window.

He had managed to open it enough for the bird to come in. Hedwig made it clear with her body language that Harry needed to get help immediately. And Harry didn't feel the need to argue. He knew he could die if he didn't get help soon. His magic alone wouldn't be enough if he passed out. But how to send a message? He looked around and saw some paper scraps on the other end of the room. Hedwig reading his mind brought one of them to him. He wrote in his own blood, the closest liquid around.

"HELP ME PLEASE"

"Hedwig get this to Hogwarts as fast as possible. They'll know it was from me and come get me. Don't rest until someone takes the note. Anyone." Harry commanded wrapping the note around her leg.

She flew out of the window and Harry collapsed. Against the wall. Now that he was there. He was laying in what seemed to be a comfortable bed. Harry had blacked out then. So someone from Hogwarts had come and gotten him and taken him back to heal him. He felt he after taste of potions coating his mouth so he knew Snape had been involved. Not that it mattered who had taken him back since he was alive and not dead.

So Harry opened his eyes to see a room in Slytherin colors. So he was with Snape and not the hospital wing. Harry sat up and felt quite dizzy. What time was it anyway? He looked around the room and saw a clock. It was 7 in the morning. He looked around and saw his trunk. He went over and opened it quickly. He saw his wand laying on top and he grabbed it. He saw that he was wearing nothing but his underwear and decided it best to get dressed.

He pulled out his school robes and other clothes and got dressed. He then used his wand to cast a diagnostic on himself. He had taught himself that charm at the beginning of the school year since it was going to be useful in figuring out how to heal himself. A piece of parchment appeared and listed out his injuries and current status.

Whoever had healed him had done pretty well. In a few days with plenty of rest he would be pretty much where he was before the beating. He placed the parchment in his pocket and pulled some shoes on from his trunk. Once he was dressed with wand in hand he opened the door. He was definitely in Snape's quarters.

Harry had no idea how to get food from here but he did know where the kitchens were. He could go to the kitchens and get some food to appease his stomach. Harry in a rare moment of forethought went back to his room and pulled out some old parchment and his quill and ink. He wrote out a quick note.

"Hey I woke up and I'm starving! So I went down to the kitchens I have my wand and should be back soon. –Harry Potter"

He left the note on his pillow and put the other supplies away. He made his way to the doors and left the room. He breathed in with a happy look on his face; glad to be back safe in Hogwarts. He walked with light steps towards the hufflepuff quarters. There was a painting next to them that led to the kitchens. As he walked he hummed a whimsical tune it was nice to be able to be himself.

Harry had many masks, ones he wore with everyone. There was the classic subservient mask that he wore around his relatives, there was the arrogant Gryffindor he wore in Snape's class and when he faced danger, which was arguably the same thing. There was the careless friend he wore around Hermione and Ron and at meals. He made a mask for each place he was in to fit what he was expected to be.

Snape and Voldemort expected him to brash and arrogant so that was what he was. His relatives expected him to be evil, freaky and doing all the work so that was what he was. His friends expected him to be cool and confident so that is what he was. But right now by himself he could be just Harry. He could be the boy he liked to be. He was very tired by the time he made it to the kitchens. So when the elves so kindly offered to let him eat there he took them up on their offer.

They served him biscuits, chicken soup and fruits. It was a bounteous feast and Harry ate as much as he could while thanking the elves profusely as he did every time. Harry had made friends with most of the elves during his first year at Hogwarts. They knew he wasn't fed well at home and always made sure that when he was alone he got snacks to help him put on much needed weight.

When he explained that he grew up as an abused house elf they treated him with a new kind of respect, the kind that equals have. They helped him when he asked and they always looked after him. He liked the elves. After eating the feast they jumped up to clean up for him he asked a favor.

"Klangly." Harry called.

"Yes Harry?"

"Could you pop me to the library? I'm too tired to walk, I'm still healing from my injuries."

"Of course Harry." Klangly said grabbing Harry and popping him to his favorite spot in the large library.

"Thanks if you could wait here I'm going to grab a few books and then can you pop me down into Professor Snape's quarters?"

"Yes Harry. I am happy to help you."

"Thanks Klangly."

Harry walked among the stacks in the library and picked up four books that he wanted to read. Two were about shielding techniques, one was on offensive charms and hexes and one was on mind calming techniques. The last book he had found a few nights before Halloween. He had left his friends to be alone for a while and was wandering the library and found a word he had never read before. "Occulmency." The first chapter talked about the positives of occulmency and he realized he could use those techniques to help strengthen his mind and calm himself when he got angry.

He read that book whenever he got the chance. He used the techniques inside to meditate and calm himself whenever he had a flashback or a panic attack. He had just gotten to the point that talked about building mental walls to protect your mind from attack and decided he could start on that or switch to something else if he got bored. Klangly popped him back into Snape's quarters. Harry thanked him and went back to the room he had woken up in.

The note was still on his pillow so he could only assume that no one had come to check on him. He sat down on the bed and took off the robe so he was in just jeans and a T-shirt. Both too large for him and hand me downs but significantly better than just ratty underwear. He made a charmed light to hang above him to properly light the page and then charmed the book to look like a quidditch book to the casual observer. He also grabbed his music player.

The real Harry loved music. All music, classical, Broadway, punk, pop, rock you name it he liked it. Harry had wondered that if he had been able to choose what he wanted to listen to instead of just listening to what Dudley did if he would have actual music preferences. As it was he had learned to appreciate music in whatever form it came in. He owl ordered a magic powered music player that held 10 times the amount of songs the muggle counter parts did. He set it up on the bed next to him turned it low and played some music to relax him while he read.

That was how Snape found him in a few hours later at 10 in the morning. Harry had really gotten into this chapter. Organizing his mind and creating blocks was an awesome piece of magic. He didn't notice when Snape came in and flinched when the door was shut loudly. Harry jumped and put the book down. He looked towards the noise and saw Snape looking at him strangely.

"Good morning Sir." Harry said quietly.

"Potter. How long have you been up?"

"I woke up a little before seven. I had a large breakfast and then have been here reading since then, sir"

"Pray tell how did you get breakfast?" Snape asked with an edge to his voice.

"I walked to the kitchens." Harry answered in true to form fashion. He needed to keep to his mask.

"Did you perhaps think in your dunderheaded brain that you should not have walked anywhere in the shape you were in?"

"I felt fine." Harry said with a sneer. "I am used to having to get up and work in much worse conditions. I hardly think you would know when I can and cannot do something more than I would."

"Potter I spent hours last night working to keep you from dying." Snape said angrily. "You were not to leave that bed for at least another day."

"I felt fine and I didn't walk back from the kitchens. I had an elf pop me down here so I wouldn't over exert myself." Harry defended with a tone.

"Did he also pop you over to the library so you could read up on quidditch?" Snape asked disbelievingly.

"Yep. I knew I was going to be in bed for a while so I thought it would be best to get some reading material to keep myself occupied."

"Why are you reading about some asinine game instead of sleeping?"

"I'm not tired. Won't be for a while. I tend to have a hard time sleeping after an incident like the one I had yesterday. It's normal for me not to sleep well for a few days afterwards no matter how much I need it." Harry answered honestly but in a careless tone.

"You are aware of potions that could aid you in getting to sleep?" Snape asked.

"Huh? No I haven't heard of those." Harry lied. "Either way you were asleep sir so how was I supposed to get something like that?"

Harry looked at the man who looked drawn and tired. Harry felt bad. He was that way because he had stayed up all night taking care of him. He knew the man before him hated him and Harry didn't really like Snape either. After a few moments of silence Harry went back to his book pointedly ignoring Snape. It was really a very interesting chapter.


	3. The Gall of Potters

**Chapter 3! This one is a really short Snape point of view but I think it is still a fun to read one. Please Review and tell me what you think.**

Snape could not believe the gall the boy was showing. It was both annoying and awe inspiring. The boy had been physically and verbally abused for much of his life and yet still had the bravado to speak so rudely to him. Yet it was also annoying did he not deserve even a thanks for saving his life? Now the boy was back to reading! Since when did Potter read anything?

"Potter we will be having lunch soon and the Headmaster is coming to speak with you about what happened." Snape said.

"Would you be there sir?"

"Why would you want me there Potter?" Snape asked truly bewildered.

At this Potter put the book down and with true anger in his eyes looked at Snape. The anger danced in his eyes like fire.

"Because I want someone to stop me from punching the headmaster as many times as possible."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"He put me there in the first place. When I begged him to let me stay here or anywhere but with my 'loving guardians' over the summer he refused. He admitted to me that it was better I stay in a home without love than live in danger."

Snape was taken aback. He had never seen Potter this passionate. When he had seen Potter angry before it had never been like this. I've never really made him angry before. I've only bothered him or maybe I hadn't even done that. The boy has been playing with me all year allowing me to think I'd gotten under his skin when in reality he wasn't bothered at all.

"I'll be there then if that is what you wish."

"Thank you sir." Potter said. "Also thank you for saving my life."

Snape managed a curt nod before leaving the room. This was going to be a very strange day. Snape floo called Albus to invite him to lunch. Albus of course agreed that it would be best to not overwhelm Harry with a bunch of people at once.

"How did he seem to you Severus?" Albus asked.

"He acted just like himself. I found him arrogant as ever reading a quidditch book when I came in."

"Quidditch book? Where would he get one of those?"

"The library, of course. The idiot thought it best to wander around the castle this morning."

"Glad to see his spirits aren't broken." Albus said sadly.

"See you in an hour Albus."

Severus stood up and grabbed a potions journal to read. He couldn't leave the Potter brat alone just in case the brat became suicidal. He came back into the room and ignored that pang of guilt he felt when Potter flinched at the loud noise of him entering. How had he not noticed the flinching in class?

"Mr. Potter. It is standard procedure to not allow a student who has been taken from a situation like the one I took you from to be alone until we are sure they will not harm themselves." Snape said while conjuring a chair.

"Of course sir." Harry agreed. "I doubt my word on that particular thing matters at all?"

"What are you talking about Potter?"

"If I wanted to kill myself I would already be dead. I've had plenty of reasons to do it in the past and no one to stop me. You needn't worry about that reaction from me."

Snape was floored. The boy couldn't possible mean what he implied. The boy couldn't have considered suicide before this. Well if Poppy's scan is any indication maybe he had. Not even my childhood was as bad as Potter's.

"Well be that as it may I still have to be here."

"Alright sir."

Potter went back to his book and I sneered at him. What could be so interesting about Quidditch? Snape looked around and was amazed the boy had his ink pot and quill out next to some parchment. He was taking notes about quidditch! Of all the ridiculous things to be taking notes about! This just wouldn't do!

"Potter. How about instead of wasting your time reading and taking notes about quidditch you do your summer assignments."


	4. A Furious Luncheon

**Chapter 4! I don't know about you but I've found the Harry Potter Fandom to be one of the most active. It's true what they say we open at the close we were the firs to come and we will be the last to leave. Review when you finish!**

Harry rolled his eyes and put the book down. He should've expected this really. The man couldn't just let him relax ever. Fine if he was going to have to be in the man's presence and do homework he might as well make the man suffer. He grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote out a list of books.

"Klangly could you pop down here for a moment please?" Harry said to the empty air.

'POP'

"What is it Harry?" Klangly asked once he popped down next to Harry.

"Are you busy? I have a favor to ask of you."

"No I is not busy since all the students is gone."

"Well I have a list of books I need for an assignment would you mind getting them for me?"

"I do not mind Harry. I'll be bringing Millie's foods down too!"

"Not Millie's stuff!"

"You need to get betters Harry! You will eat Millie's foods!"

"Fine but don't tell her I complained she'll make more of it!"

Klangly winked and popped away with the list. Harry crawled across the bed and opened his trunk to get the things he would need. His first year's potion text and the paper with the assignment in it. He began reading over the assignment. He pretended to not notice Snape's interested gaze.

A few minutes later Klangly popped back down with a pile of five books and a bowl of disgusting porridge.

"Thanks Klangly I'll eat this right away."

"Millie will be pleased."

Harry picked up the warm bowl and began spooning up the disgusting goop. When he had first found the kitchens, the elves had instantly recognized his wounds. The elves had a porridge that they could make that sped up healing and helped strengthen your magic. Millie, the house elf who had practically adopted Harry, made it for him whenever he was hurt which was pretty often. He hated the taste of the stuff but he knew it was necessary.

With Snape still watching Harry put the bowl up to his lips and chugged down the stuff. Once the bowl was empty he gagged a lot. Then he grabbed the glass of water that had magically appeared and drank that down to wash out the taste. Once that was done the bowl and glass disappeared and Harry sighed.

"What was that?" Snape asked.

"The porridge?"

"Yes, what was it?"

"House elf secret. I can't really tell you what exactly it is since it is something only house elves are supposed to know."

"Why would you know it then?"

"They consider me one and I do as well." Harry said. "Any more questions or can I start on the work you so kindly suggested I do?"  
Harry watched Snape roll his eyes. So Harry grabbed his potions book and the five other books he had Klangly get and he began to work on the paper. He steadfastly ignored the looks Snape was giving him as it was part of his plan. He was going to do something he only ever did in private.

It had been instilled in Harry since childhood that he could not do better than Dudley in anything. So when he did assignments he would do them twice. The first time he would do his best, getting most or all of them right, and the second time he would 'correct' his paper and make it as bad as he could. This ensured he knew the material but also made sure he would never do better than his idiot cousin. He had continued this practice at Hogwarts since it was expected that he be utterly average maybe even below average. If he excelled, if he was at the top of his class then problems would arise. Harry wanted to be as unnoticeable as possible. Not that his celebrity status helped any.

So Harry would write all of his big assignments twice. The first was his 'rough draft' and it was written neatly and to the best of his ability. The 'final draft' was written poorly and was average on all counts. He had used Ron as an indicator, if he was doing on par with Ron then he would be rather unnoticeable, at least grades wise.

The rest of the hour before lunch was spent with Harry doing in depth research on dragon blood and its uses in potions. It was a pretty interesting read if Harry was honest with himself. Who knew you could use Dragon blood as a cleaning agent? He flinched again when Snape spoke.

"It is time for lunch. Come Mr. Potter." Snape said standing and motioning toward the door.

Harry grabbed his wand and jumped out of the bed. He followed Snape through his quarters where there was a dining table. Harry took in a deep breathe to calm himself so that he would not say something he regretted towards the old man already sitting there. He normally could hold in his anger but for some reason his anger towards Dumbledore was bubbling dangerously close to the surface. Harry sat as far from the man as he could at the small table and waited for someone to speak that wasn't him.

Snape sat down as well and then the meal appeared. Harry waited, as was his habit, for everyone else to take food before he did himself. He did not look at Dumbledore while he did this even though he could feel his eyes on him. As Harry began to eat Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"How are you feeling Harry?"

"I feel well enough considering Headmaster." Harry answered staring at his plate.

"Harry, why did you not tell me?"

"Tell you what? That my guardians were beating me bloody every chance they got?" Harry snarled. "Maybe because you were the one who put me there. Maybe it was because I was ashamed or afraid of the repercussions of such an action. My uncle promised to murder me if I ever told and that is one thing I don't doubt his word in."

"Oh Harry… I am sorry." Dumbledore began.

"What are you sorry for sir?" Harry asked angrily.

"For placing you with those monsters." Dumbledore said sincerely.

"Sir. From what I understand you thought placing me with my relatives and thereby the blood wards was the best choice correct?"

"Yes I thought it would keep you safe…"

"Then you should not be sorry for placing me there. You had no idea what they were going to do." Harry said. "What you should be sorry for is never checking on me. I lived with them for 10 years! Not once did you or anyone else come into my home and check on me. With magic it would've be impossibly easy to do but you never did. I don't blame you for what happened, I blame you for never saving me and forcing me to save myself countless times."

Dumbledore was silent. He had not expected this reaction from Harry not that he didn't deserve the boys anger. He opened his mouth to speak but Harry spoke again.

"I'm sorry sir. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you." Harry apologized. "Could you please tell me what the plan is from here? I mean where am I going to be living?"  
"Well Harry. I think it would be best to wait till you're completely healed before finding a new home for you." Dumbledore answered.

"So I'll be staying at Hogwarts until I'm healed. What about then? Do you have any ideas about where I'll be living?" Harry pushed.

"Not right now my boy." Dumbledore said.

"Well let me know as soon as possible. I hate to live in an unknown like this."

"I will let you know as soon as I have options my boy. You just concentrate on healing."

Harry nodded and continued on focusing on his food. Nothing was said for the rest of the lunch which was fine for Harry. Once lunch was over Harry waited for Dumbledore to leave before looking up. He really didn't want to look at the man with his bruised face and chipped teeth.

"Mr. Potter. You should go back to the bed you've been occupying and stay there."

"Yes sir. Thank you for the meal."

Harry walked as quickly as he could to the room and got onto the bed. He didn't want to think about what was going on with Dumbledore so he pulled out his potions work and threw himself into it. He wrote out his rough draft in three hours and it was pretty good. Once it was done he felt tired enough to fall asleep. He slept through someone coming in to check on him and picking up his work.


	5. A Damned Snake

**Chapter 5! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am. I apologize for any typos you might find. No matter how many times I read through this I never see them all until I post it. Go ahead and tell me if you see any in a review so i can fix them. I'd hate to take away from the story with silly typos.**

Snape was surprised at the anger Potter showed. The way he spoke meant he had thought about this often enough. He did not bother to follow Potter and instead spent his time reading on his couch near the fire. At 4:13 pm Snape stood up and walked over to bedroom to find Potter passed out on the bed surrounded by school supplies. He was writing up his potions work. I wonder if it is as bad as the ones he does during the school year. Snape grabbed the parchment titled "Potions Assignment Rough Draft" and sat down to read.

The first thing he noticed was how neatly it was written. The essays he had read by Potter before were almost illegible at times. The next thing he noticed was that it was phenomenal, the essay was well written and the author well informed. He couldn't believe Potter had written it but he had seen him do it. Why was this titled the rough draft? Did that mean he felt he could do it better? Why had he never seen this level of work before?

Almost without thinking he summoned his red ink and quill and began to grade the work. It was probably the least red he had ever put on a student's parchment before. Once it was graded and received the highest marks Snape could give he put it back on the boy's bed. He left and got some dinner for both of them. The brat really shouldn't leave the bed anymore that day. When he returned with the two plates of food he spoke up to wake the boy.

"Potter wake up and eat this dinner."

Snape once again ignored the felling of guilt when Harry jumped up as if he'd been slapped. When the brat looked at him he merely took the plate and nodded. Snape sat down himself and tried to initiate conversation. If asked later why he would bother Snape would merely sneer and say that it was for the benefit of his annoying patient.

"I noticed you had finished your first draft of your potions work."

"Oh?" Harry said nonchalantly while grabbing the parchment. "You mean this horrid piece of work. I mean really it's one of the worst things I've ever written. I mean honestly it is a piece of rubbish. I'm ashamed to admit I even wrote it."

"You mean to say you can do better?" Snape asked with a slightly constipated look.

"Of course. I strive consistently to turn in the kind of work expected of me." Harry answered.

"Then why have I not seen work like that before?"

"Did you not hear a word I said?" Harry asked in a tone he had nicknamed his Draco voice. "I turn in the kind of work expected of me. No more no less."

"I'm not following you." Snape said though he had an inkling feeling that he did.

"Best start from the beginning then." Harry said. "Answer this question as honestly as you are able. When you first saw me in Hogwarts what were you expecting? What kind of person did you expect me to be?"

"I believed you would be an arrogant spoiled brat with an ego larger than the castle itself. I expected to see a student floating through life on his fame instead of actual work." Snape answered without missing a beat.

"And that sir is exactly what you got. You expected an arrogant Gryffindor and I was more than happy to supply."

"Are you telling me that if I had expected a studious Ravenclaw you would've produced work like that?" Snape said gesturing to the paper Harry was still holding.

"No. For it's not just you that has expectations of me." Harry said. "For example. The headmaster expects me to be brave and heroic, willing to give my life for others. Even if every single one of my professors had expected me to be blindingly intelligent, I still would've played the fool."

Snape said nothing. He merely nodded his head in a motion to push Harry to continue. Harry had zoned out and was thinking deeply about something. Finally after a few moments of tense silence meal forgotten Snape cleared his throat. Harry jumped and looked in his direction.

"Huh?" Harry said. "I hope that answered your questions as to why you'll never be seeing a parchment written like that from me ever again."

"No, it did not."

"Well then I will leave you to your own assumptions while I eat. I'm starved you know."

Snape forced himself not to flinch at that very accurate statement. He watched as Potter downed his food with alarming speed. The speed of someone not used to regular meals and had to defend their food at every chance. Then he watched as Potter began to glow. A golden light tingling just beneath the skin. The light was bright where there were injuries and less where there was not. Potter didn't seem to notice or if he did he made no show of it. The glow fluctuated colors around his wounds red, greens and blues until finally it was all a weak golden glow. Then it stopped.

"Potter." Snape snapped. "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" Harry asked playing dumb.

"The glowing! You were just glowing."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Have you been getting enough sleep sir? I know not getting enough sleep can cause people to see really strange things."

"I've gotten enough sleep. I definitely saw you glow."

"Of course sir." Harry said putting his hands as if he was placating an enraged animal. "Whatever you say."

Snape growled and stood up and left. The boy had confused him beyond all measure. It took everything in him to not use legilimency on the boy. The boy had certainly glowed, there was no doubt about that. He just didn't want him to know what it meant but he would find out if it killed him.

Snape sat down in his office and pulled out a parchment to write out the new things he had learned about Potter.

 _1._ _Abused by relatives, emotional and physical for most of life. Seems to be accepting of that fact. Sexual abuse? Unsure but not surprising_

 _2._ _More intelligent than expected. Potter turns in only acceptable, average work to all professors for some unknown reason. When asked he cited meeting certain expectations and referenced Dumbledore._

 _3._ _Knows the house elves well. He implied that he was a house elf in everything but blood and even had one of the more senior staff feed him a house elf 'special' healing porridge that looked awful._

 _4._ _Reads? Even if it was only Quidditch books the boy reads quite a bit if the amount of books he had the house elf retrieve was anything to judge by._

 _5._ _Logical. The boy was able to reign in his temper when speaking with Albus. He gave logical reasons as to his anger with the man. Not blaming him for placing him with his relatives but for never checking up on him._

 _6._ _Glowing. The boy glows gold. He is unwilling to speak about what it means but the glowing seemed to be centered on his wounds. Maybe healing magic? Unsure._

It wasn't much but the boy was certainly enigmatic. He walked back to Potters room to retrieve the plates and did not speak to the boy who had gone back to reading his damnable quidditch book. He cast a spell to alert him if the boy left the room and went back to his own rooms to rest and think.

The boy was extremely secretive which isn't really that unexpected. The boy had hidden violent severe abuse from every single adult in his life for 11 years. The boy would only give half answers that didn't satisfy questions and would just lie if he didn't want to speak about a certain subject. It was mind boggling, how many times had the boy lied to him and the other professors this year?

It made him wonder the stories he'd been told. The boy was only one he truly knew what had happened with the philosopher's stone and Quirrel. What about the troll incident? What had really happened there? Every single event that Potter had made a statement was brought into question. This only brought one real conclusion to his mind. The damn boy should've been a snake.


	6. Manipulative Gryffindors

**Chapter 6! This is the longest chapter yet. I hope you enjoy it. This one has some interesting ideas about Occulmency. I really have no idea how it is done in the books since Snape never provided much explanation on how it works so I just kind of made it up. Tell me what you think!**

Harry knew exactly what that glowing was. He had dubbed it his healing glow and when he was younger it was his 'feel better freakishness'. Whenever he was severely injured his body would use its magic to heal all his wounds quickly. It had first happened when he was four years old when his uncle had first used the belt.

When he was younger it was done without his consent but when he was around six he could control when he would glow and heal and when he wouldn't. He just had to focus on keeping his injuries and they would stay, if he lost concentration his magic would rush in and heal him. This evening was unfortunate, there was so much on his mind that he had forgotten about the glow for a moment. A moment was all that was needed for him to start glowing. Harry had made sure to pretend not to notice. This was one thing he refused to explain to his professor.

Harry put it out of his mind and went back to his disguised occulmency book. He felt almost ready to try the mind organization process the book said he would need to be in an undisturbed place for a long time. It said that you needed to add an hour for every year of life. He was eleven so eleven hours of deep sleep would be enough. He called out to Klangly.

"Klangly!"

"Yes Harry?" Klangly asked with a pop.

"I have a favor to ask of you?"

"What is it Harry?"

"I need you to make sure no one comes into this room for eleven hours. I am about to go into a magical sleep that will help me with my study of mind magics. I will be extremely vulnerable so I need some protection."

"I will ward the room and distract any humans who try to enter until you leave the room yourself. I am glad you are progressing so well." Klangly said.

"Me too. Thanks so much Klangly. I'm going to start now."

Klangly popped away and Harry laid down flat on his bed. The book said he needed to get deep within his own mind. He focused only on his breathing until that was all that was in his mind. Then slowly forced his mind to be completely and utterly blank. He instinctively brought up his magic and it surrounded him.

He was suddenly in his mind deeper than he had ever been. There were memories floating everywhere like reels from an old movie. Most of them were bad but some as he watched them passed by were happy and bright. He looked around. He was floating in an endless black abyss but he didn't feel hopeless it was just a never ending thing. He focused and visualized a long hallway, not unlike those at Hogwarts.

Before him formed a hallway, the floor made of large gray stones that fit together almost perfectly. If you looked closely at the stones you could see that they were made of tiny crystals that sparkled brightly. The walls were made of the same rock with slightly smaller sizes. It was a long corridor that had doors on each side.

Each door had a stone arch made of different colored stone and a stone face waiting to be labeled. Between each door were armor statues and other things that one would see lining the walls of Hogwarts. Harry had read in the book that you could organize your mind in any way that made sense to you. Some people, like Hermione, Harry imagined would create a huge library where every book contained memories. Some would envision only one room filled with objects and each object would hold memories. Harry imagined that if Professor Snape had done this he would have a room full of potion vials and ingredients.

Harry had decided the thing that made the most sense was to organize his life by rooms. Each room would be locked and contain the memories and thoughts of a certain subject or person. Harry began with what was going to be the hardest rooms first. He walked or floated to the first door and envisioned the label above the door becoming "Vernon Dursley."

Harry opened the door. The room was filled with things that reminded Harry of the man in question. Belts were strewn along the floor, things like that. There was also a table filled with books. Harry picked up the first book and opened it.

What happened next took a long time. Harry would bring up a memory involving the man and add it to a page of one of the books. None of them were happy, most were violent and bloody. Some he had wished he had forgotten, like the ones that had happened late at night when he was so very small. Once he filled a book he would imagined it tied shut with a lock, keeping anyone but himself from viewing it.

It seemed to take Harry forever to get through those memories since it seemed, the more he added the more memories came up. Harry had books filled with just instances where Vernon had taken it upon himself to hit him. When Harry finally finished with the last memory of the most recent attack he stumbled from the room feeling exhausted and emotionally worn down.

He put a password on the door that only he knew so that no one could open that door unless they guessed it. The next room was labelled 'Petunia Dursley' and followed the same process. This one wasn't as horrible but it was still pretty awful, this room was designed just like the kitchen at his childhood place of residence. He refused to call it a home. The next room was titled 'Dudley Dursley and Friends'. This one was filled with all the memories of 'Harry Hunting' and the other things that his muggle cousin had decided to do to him. Memories involving the other friends that were in Dudley's gang were also included.

He decided to leave off of people and move onto subjects. Rooms titled things like 'Maths', 'English', 'Science', and others were created quickly and filled with all the knowledge that Harry had of them. Those were much easier. He had a room created for each subject at Hogwarts as well. Those went by the quickest since he only had a year of memories for them. Each room was password protected and guarded by the armor statues that filled the hall.

He moved back to people and had rooms for each of his friends. These were much more enjoyable to fill. The troll memory was much more enjoyable to review than live through. He had a room entirely dedicated to Quidditch knowledge and it was by far the most interesting. Each memory was a snitch that filled a giant quidditch stadium. If you wanted to view a memory you had to catch the corresponding snitch.

He had a room for the two more powerful people that had forever ruined his life as well. Dumbledore's room was designed as his actual office and Voldemort's room; well it wasn't pretty.

Harry had one clear memory from his babyhood and that was the murder of his mother and father. He can still remember the pain from the killing curse, the screams of his parents and the high pitched laughter of Him. The room was an exact replica of his destroyed nursery, without the body of his dead mother of course. All knowledge he had of the man/ monster was in that room and was heavily guarded. He didn't want to dream of his parent's murder if he didn't have to.

He followed this process until there were no more memories left. Everything was organized and guarded. The next part was just as important. He did not want anyone getting into this corridor at all. He imagined a thick steel door at the end of the hall that was spelled to not open unless Harry wanted it to. He left the door and began to construct a maze around the building that housed his memories. It was a complex maze filled with dangers. Harry knew that later in life he would need to make it better but for now he should be safe. The last thing he did was create guardians.

The book warned that if he was even in need of mental aid that a trusted person could not help him if he did not have something to help guide him to his 'inner sanctum'. The book said that the more guardians the more defendable his brain and the more help he could receive if he wanted it. He thought back to the old comics that he had stolen from Dudley. There was the Teen Titans and there was a character there that had her mind organized with guardians that each represented a part of her. Harry had thought that was a cool idea and decided to take use it here.

He created a Harry clad in gray that represented his fear, timid and servant faces. A Harry clad in Gryffindor red represented his bravery, strength and other rather Gryffindor-ish traits. A pink Harry represented his ability to love and a black Harry his anger and hatred. Finally a green Harry that represented his wisdom and cunning. Each guardian was in parts of the maze and would either hinder or aid a person in his mind.

Finally Harry had finished all he wanted to do and allowed his magic to rest and himself to wake up. When Harry opened his eyes he was still in the guest room in Snape's quarters. What time was it? Harry's stomach rumbled letting him know it had been long enough. Harry climbed out of bed feeling weak and dizzy. He looked at the clock on the wall and found it had been nearly 24 hours, apparently it had taken longer than he had expected. The book he guessed didn't take into account how long it would take to work through those kinds of memories.

Harry staggered to the door and opened it. He heard yelling and stopped leaning against a wall to listen.

"I refuse to house him for the entire summer Albus! The boy is a menace and he is acting like a child." A voice that could be no one other than Snape yelled.

"The boy in question is a child. Now what infraction has he done now?"

"He warded the door shut 24 hours ago and hasn't left the room once. He's skulking and acting like a child."

"He has been through an ordeal Severus."

"I will not let him stay here after he's been healed." Snape declared then in a sad tone. "Besides why on earth would he want to be here?"  
"You yourself are familiar with what he has gone through. You can help him heal Severus."

"If you expect me to open up to that arrogant brat then you are mistaken."

Harry decided now was the time to make an appearance and tug on some heart strings. Harry needed to stay in the castle and he knew the best way to do that was to get stuck with a professor as a temporary guardian. Harry rubbed his face hard so it looked red and raw then in a stroke of genius let tears began to flow from his eyes.

Harry had not truly cried since he was three years old. He had seen that Dudley would fake a cry to get what he had wanted and had taught himself the skill, not that it had ever helped. He brought up a sad memory and let the tears stream down making his face snotty and wet. As he let his face look more and more pitiful he went back into the room ignoring the yells from his professor and changed into pajamas. He reopened his door and made his way into the living area where Snape was standing and pacing and the headmaster was sitting looking disappointed. Harry sniffled loudly to announce his presence. Snape stopped his tirade and looked confused as the crying boy in front of him. Harry knew he looked pitiful and that made him smirk inwardly as he 'tried' to rub his face clean with his sleeve.

Harry opened his mouth to make it look like he was going to speak but instead he let a noise of hurt and desperation come out instead. Let them feel guilty. He turned quickly and walked over to the kitchen where there was sure to be food. He grabbed food quickly making it seem like he was unwillingly to be around the adults any more.

He heard them follow him to the kitchen and so continued his quiet crying fit. He grabbed the food and turned around.

"Harry my boy." Albus said trying to smile. "Please come sit down and eat while we talk to you."

Harry sniffled and sat down at the table far away from the two men. Snape looked constipated at the show of emotion which made Harry want to giggle. Instead he focused only on his food and pretended to try and make the tears stop.

"Potter. Stop your sniveling and explain yourself." Snape demanded.

"Explain what sir?" Harry said while rubbing at his eyes to make the tears 'stop'.

"You locked the door to the guest bedroom with magic and haven't left your room for a full day. Why?"

"I didn't!" Harry yelped sounded offended. "I've just been in the room doing my work. I didn't magic it shut, how would you even do that?"

"Well Harry. If you didn't use magic to lock the door why didn't you leave the room till now?" Albus asked in a kinder tone while sending a look at his wayward professor.

"I forgot to." Harry said.

Snape snorted and Harry glared at him with his red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"My relatives never fed me often and I just got used to not eating every day. I forgot I was still at Hogwarts I guess and since I didn't see anybody I just didn't think about it." Harry added while making himself blush in embarrassment.

Snape now looked stunned and a little guilty so Harry congratulated himself but his charade wasn't done yet. Harry looked down and sniffled while eating the sandwich he had prepared himself. After a few moments of silence Dumbledore asked another question.

"Harry why were you crying?"

Excellent question, one I'm so glad you asked.

"I'm sorry sir." Harry said. "There's just a lot of stuff going on. I just got overwhelmed when I heard you two talking. I guess I just thought that… that me and the professor were getting along a little."

Harry abruptly stood with his food and ran for his room. He slammed the door behind him for emphasis and then allowed it to open slightly so he could hear what went on after that. Really he was just too good at this.

"Well I hope you are proud of yourself Severus." Albus said almost angrily. "They boy probably used accidental magic to lock the door and you removed any sense of comfort the boy had."

"How was I supposed to know he would come out of the room? He'd been in there for a whole day." Severus defended.

"I'm sure I could've opened the door if you had not been able too. The boy requires a constant adult presence and you are the only one qualified." Dumbledore said. "Minerva is gone. Pomona has her own family. Flitwick and I are both too old. You will do this. He will live with you in your quarters. You will provide for him and help him heal mentally from the abuse. I will be keeping a close eye on you and his progress. You do not have a choice. So keep to your duty."

Dumbledore sure sounded angry. Harry closed the door quietly and crawled onto his bed and sat down looking sad. He ate his food with gusto and waited for Snape to come in. Thirty minutes later Snape came in looking nervous.

"Hello sir."

"Potter. I have an apology to make. I apologize for saying things about you that you found to be hurtful."

Harry thought that was one of the worst apologies he had ever heard. He made no mention of fault and did not say that he was wrong or dishonest. Harry made his smirk visible.

"No need for apologies. I believe I should be the one to apologize instead."

"What the devil do you mean?"

"I lied. I made it seem like I was hurt by your words when I really couldn't care less. I knew you didn't want me around but I have no desire to go anywhere else. You out of all the professors would be my first choice as a temporary guardian so I made it happen. If it helps I have no expectations from you at all."

"It certainly doesn't help me at all. The man expects us to talk through your problems."

"I have no problems."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

"Potter. You've been abused for most of your life. Of course you have problems."

"I promise you I don't. I am not lying to you in fact for the next fifteen minutes I won't lie to you. Ask whatever you want, I'm feeling generous."

"Did you lock your door with magic?"

"No. I did not lock it."

"Are you aware of how it got locked?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I asked a friend to lock it for me so I wouldn't be disturbed while I rested."

"You slept for 24 hours?"

"No. I meditated and got caught up in some memories."

"You meditate?"

"On occasion."

"Why?"

"I enjoy it mostly."

"Why did you want to stay with me?"

"You won't care hopefully. I can just enjoy my summer without pressures. You'll do what you do and I'll enjoy myself reading and such. Every other adult would care about me."

"You assume that I don't care?"

"Do you?"

"I'm asking the questions."

"I assume that you have no love for me. Your actions make that clear enough. Despite what could have been a decent relationship you've been rather aggressive toward me."

"Decent?"

"I could've been an above average student that you would hardly know. That would've been wonderful huh?"

"I suppose."

"Any more questions?"

"What was that glowing?"

"I have no idea truly. I can only imagine magic."

Snape snorted.

"Will you explain what you meant by all that living up to expectations?"

"No. We all have secrets. Besides you can certainly figure it out on your own."

Snape looked angry and his lips thinned into a dangerous white line. Harry gulped and smiled lightly.

"Here's a deal your Slytherin mind can accept." Harry said. "You tell me why you have made it your apparent goal in life to destroy my self-esteem and why you constantly reference a dead man and if your answer satisfies me then I'll give you an answer that satisfies you."

Snape nearly reared back. The boy was certainly being trickier than he thought. Was he willing to let out his secrets like that to merely learn more about the-boy-who-lived-to-be-annoying? Yes Dammit he was!

"Fine." Snape said with a sneer. "You look exactly like your father. We went to school together him in Gryffindor and I in Slytherin. He and his arrogant group of friends made it their life goal to bully me for the fact that I was friends with your mother and in the evil house. He hated me and I hated him. Every time I see your face I am reminded of my childhood bully."

"That answers part one but not part two. Why take it out on me? Surely you are the adult here. Surely you should be able to keep your impulses in check and not mercilessly bully an orphan."

Snape stared. Was that really what he had been doing? Bullying someone because they looked like his hated boyhood rival? He had been bullying his student for reasons that seemed stupid when said out loud.

"I thought you were exactly like your father. Spoiled, Arrogant and coasting through life on your fame alone. So I took it upon myself to lower you down a notch."

"Well Congratulations Professor Snape." Harry said sarcastically while clapping slowly. "You just about destroyed any trust I could have in any adult in my entire life. You really do work wonders don't you?"

Snape wondered if this was all a dream. A sarcastic bitter 11 year old is not something one would expect. Snape elected to ignore the rudeness since it was rather deserved and focus on the point. The boy now owed him an explanation.

"Potter answer my question now."

"Hmm. Why should I? You have no way of making me answer it. If you wanted to assure I did it you should've had me go first. You are too trusting Professor. You can't use any potion on me because one word to Dumbledore and the man will murder you." Harry said with a smirk.

Snape paled. He had been out maneuvered by a Gryffindor! A Potter no less! It had been good too, the boy was right he could force the boy to do nothing if he didn't want the headmaster's wrath. Before he could even think of a counter argument the boy spoke again.

"I'll tell you though because I'm much too noble to go back out on a deal. Ever since I was able to walk it has been _beaten_ into me that I could not be better than my lard ball of a cousin. So I learned quickly to hide and force down all of my skills. I learned to excel in being below average. I'm good at it, teachers are always trying to find ways to help students become better and if you show even a glimmer of promise they'll pounce with offers of help. No I learned to hide all traces of higher intelligence." Harry said in a proud tone. "I kept the practice up at Hogwarts, to confuse my many enemies. When Lord What's His Name returns he will be expecting an average student with no special skills and a tendency to walk into traps. That's what everyone will say about me. No instead he will come face to face with me someone no one will truly know."


	7. Libraries are Wonderful Places

**Chapter 7! This one has a quick little Snape POV at the beginning and then it goes right back to Harry. I thought about making them separate chapters but it was just so short you know. Review and tell me what you think.**

At that Snape stood up and left. The boy had surprised and scared him a little. When he had spoken of learning to hide his skills he had felt his blood run cold. This was a boy who had had to fight to survive every day of his life since the murder of his parents. A boy with no qualms of pretending to be an idiot, a simpleton, or reckless just to give himself an edge in the fight for survival. This boy was ready to fight for his life in any way possible even if it meant the scorn of many. This was a boy that Snape would help.

 _Huh? What did I mean help?_

 _Exactly what you said. You want to help him. He reminds you of yourself, angry at the world and prepared for any eventuality. Always afraid of when the next boot is going to fall._

 _I do not want to help Potter's spawn._

 _You do._

 _Don't_

 _Do_

 _Don't_

 _Do_

 _Don't_

 _Don't_

 _Do_

 _Do_

 _Do_

 _Wait Damn!_

Snape cursed himself. He had literally played a joke on himself in an effort to convince himself that he wanted to help the boy. If he was honest he did. No 11 year old boy should be constantly on alert trying to fight for his survival. The boy should be carefree and idiotic not more cunning than men twice his age. Not proud that he had learned to limit himself. At that moment Severus' Snape life changed because at 7:36 pm Severus Snape decide that he would help Harry Potter become a normal boy, well as normal as possible.

After eating Harry felt rather tired who knew occulmency was so exhausting? He fell asleep and was awoken the next morning by the one and only Severus Snape.

"Breakfast Potter. We need to discuss your living situation."

Harry had nearly jumped out of his skin when the man had pushed on his shoulder to wake him. He noticed a strange glint in the man's eye when he flinched guilt maybe? Why would Snape care if he flinched? Harry had been flinching for years and no one had seem bothered by it. Harry shrugged and waited for the man to leave before grabbing some clothing and changing quickly into some of his best ratty clothes. At this point Harry's pride was already in tatters might as well top it off by dressing like he does at home.

Harry opened the door and looked around he made sure no one was standing in the hallway that could spook him. Then he walked down to the kitchen/dining area/ it's still so weird that he is in Snape's quarters.

"Hello Professor." Harry said quietly when he saw the man sitting at the table full of food.

"Sit down Potter we have much to discuss." Snape said motioning for the chair nearest him.

Now there were three chairs that were unoccupied surrounding the table. The table was rectangular so there were two chairs on each side the long way. There was one that was on the same side of Snape and one directly across from him. Then there was one farthest away diagonally. Harry felt like he was walking on eggshells. Does he sit in the chair farthest away from the food and Snape? Does he sit next to Snape when every instinct in him tells him to never eat near an adult? Eventually Harry made his cautiously to sit down right across from Snape it was closer to the food and he could watch the man easier.

Harry waited for Snape to say something or grab food. He was rewarded that Snape said nothing and merely grabbed some food to put on his own plate. Harry quickly grabbed a small portion and placed on his plate as far away from Snape as possible. Harry had always been a defensive eater but he had been able to calm it down throughout the school year. However at a small table that was reminiscent of the Dursely's his defenses were on high. He inhaled his food while never taking his eyes of the hands of his professor.

He was finished quickly and leaned back to watch Snape and wait for him to speak. He knew better than to speak before being spoken too. After a few minutes Snape finished and looked at him.

"Potter. Madame Pomphrey is of the opinion that you should not be out of bed yet." Snape began. "I however feel it would be in your best interest to not skulk in your room. You may visit the library, kitchens, and explore the castle but I don't want you to get tired. Call a house elf if you get tired and have them bring you back here. I expect you to avoid getting in trouble and be in my rooms for all three meals. If there are problems I wish for you to tell me immediately. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly. I will probably spending my time exploring or reading in the library. No need to worry about me I won't plan any crazy stunts."

"Lunch is at noon and dinner 6pm. Breakfast is served at 8 am be on time."

"Okay then sir. See you in a few hours." Harry made a quick escape out of Snape's vision and went to the room.

The only thing he wanted to do was relax. Maybe he would go flying later in the day. As Harry grabbed his wand he remembered something. It was one of the more recent bitter memories. Why was it coming back now? Probably because he had organized everything so recently. It was that day at the zoo on Dudley's birthday. He had spoken to that snake hadn't he? Was it because the snake was magical or could he speak with all snakes? That would require some research!

TO THE LIBRARY!

Harry whistled as he meandered from the dungeons up to the library. He and Hermione both loved the library but Harry wasn't as vocal about it. When he opened the large door to the library he took in a deep breath through the nose. The wonderful smell of parchment and old leather and books filled his nostrils and gave him some peace. He made his way over to the large book that contained the lists of all the books in the library.

The book was organized similarly to the dewy decimal system that muggles employed with slight differences. He opened the book that was the size of his small body to the language section and then went down to the s list.

"So you've got a lisp? No. Sample spells from the orient. No. Snakes, the language of! Yes."

It was in the restricted section. Of course. Nothing could be easy for Harry. Harry called Klangly to get the book for him. Klangly did it after an explanation that Harry wasn't trying to learn the dark arts he just had a question that could only be answered with research. Once he got the book he proceeded to walk over to one of the sheltered cubbies that blocked him from the view of most people. He lugged the heavy tome onto the table and opened it to the introduction.

 _Snakes have their own language that is used by non-magical, magical snakes and cousin species of snakes. This can include certain species of dragons. The language is called Parseltongue and can be used by humans if they are born with the gift. The gift of Parseltongue is rare and only one person every 50 years is born with the ability in Britain. The most recent and notable case of a Parselmouth was You-Know-Who. The most historical Parselmouth is Salazar Slytherin. Most Parselmouths in Britain can trace their ancestry to this founder as it is normally passed down through generations._

 _Parselmouths can speak to snakes but also command them. Because of their ability and their magical power snakes will follow their directives with the utmost loyalty. Speakers of the snake language can also perform parselmagic. Parselmagic are spells spoken in Parseltongue and are generally harder to undo. The spells are as rare as the speakers themselves._

 _Parseltongue and Dark magic are often seen as congruent in British culture. Many of their darkest wizards and witches have had the ability and often use it to spread fear through the populace. The spell –Serpensortia- was used to transfigure highly dangerous snakes and then they were sent to attack fighters. In other wizarding cultures the ability to speak to snakes is seen as a healer's ability. In India where Parselmouths are just as rare, the speakers are treated with high respect and honor because they can use their abilities to protect people from venomous snakes as well as get snake's venom easily._

Harry closed the book then. If he was a Parselmouth he was the first one since Voldemort himself. There was only one way to find out. Harry pulled out his wand from his back pocket and waved his wand up and summoned a snake. From his wand burst out a brown snake. It looked harmless enough.

 _"_ _Bloody Hell!"_ The snake screamed. _"Where am I?"_

 _"_ _Hello Can you understand me?"_ Harry demanded looking at the snake.

 _"_ _Yes of course I can. You are a speaker are you not?"_

 _"_ _I was unsure and the best way to test is to speak to one of the wonderful snakes so I summoned you. I am going to return you to where you were before. I am sorry for bringing you here without asking."_

 _"_ _That's fine speaker. Anything you desire it is my desire to grant."_

Harry nodded and sent the snake away. So he was a Parselmouth. That was yet another one of his secrets that he would have to keep forever. He lived in a place that would demonize him for this power. _Maybe I could move to India or someplace like that?_ Harry could see it now he would move all of his money to a new country. Forget about the Dursely's only tell Ron and Hermione where he was going. He could disappear and live in a house full of deadly snakes where he provided venom and snake parts to whomever needed it. It would be awesome, besides who would look for him in India?

Harry shook his head to clear it of crazy ideas and looked at the clock to see that it was almost time for lunch. He slipped the book into the desk so he could come back for it later and made the trek back down to the dungeons. Harry strolled in at 11:59 and looked around to see Snape was not anywhere in the quarters. Harry walked into the kitchen and saw that food had not even been prepared yet. Where was the man? If he was going to demand that I return here for every meal he should at least be there as well. Harry knew one place that the man could lose track of time, the Potions lab. Harry rolled his eyes and left the quarters and made his way down to the potion labs.

Sure enough he could hear the comforting sound of bubbling cauldrons. He opened the door quietly and saw the man sitting on a chair near the cauldrons seemingly asleep. _Who falls asleep when they are brewing?_ Harry smirked. He knew Snape would never fall asleep when brewing no matter how tired he was. When he first spoke about potions he spoke about them in a way an artist speaks about painting or a sculptor about sculpting. It had inspired Harry. The man was passionate about his potions. So if he was faking being asleep what did he hope to gain besides an exploded cauldron?

Harry closed the door loudly hoping to 'wake' the man but he didn't flinch. Oh he's a good actor. Harry stood there and thought. _What is he trying to gain? He obviously wants me to do something but what? Does he want me to finish the potions or does he want me to wake him? Does he want me to leave? No he wants me here else he would've come to the kitchen to eat. Well let's see this is a test what does he want to prove? Let's see what he's brewing._

Harry walked over to the four bubbling cauldrons and saw that there were even recipes next to each cauldrons not that he needed them. He recognized the potions easily enough. He could easily finish these. But did he want to do that? I mean the man was willing let potions be ruined to test me? Well let's give him something to ponder.

Harry was a magically powerful kid, he didn't really know how powerful since he had never really compared the full extent of his skills with others his age but he was powerful. At the age of six he had discovered that he could move things if he concentrated, he had learned later that controlled wandless magic was a rare skill and Harry decided to freak the man out a bit.

There were a couple of options he could use his skill and do magic without a wand in front of the man. That would certainly freak him out but it would also give away one of his better kept secrets. The second option was to brew the potions flawlessly. That one sounded more fun and enjoyable. Harry prepared himself and then turned to the professor who was pretending to sleep.

"And you get after me for day dreaming in class. I mean honestly falling asleep while brewing four different potions. I think you're the dunderhead in the room now."

Then he practically ran to the cauldrons and began to finish the potions. The fever reducer was almost finished and just needed one more ingredient and left to simmer so he dumped it in evenly and stirred counter clockwise 3 times. He lowered the temperature of the fire and let it simmer while focusing on the rest of the potions. The calming draught needed a bit of work and Harry stirred it while grabbing the correct ingredients from the nearby table. He finished that one and moved to the dreamless sleep and the giggling potion. _Giggling Potion? Why in the hell would he waste potion ingredients on this?_

Harry finished each potion and only the calming draught was off but that was because he had added too much of the final ingredient making the consistency off. Not so off that it was unusable it was just thicker and would be slightly more unpleasant to drink. Harry smirked and decided to leave his sleeping professor alone. He walked to the door and opened then stiffened.

"I learned a long time ago to see when some was faking being asleep Professor. Next time you want to test me just ask, it will be easier for everyone."

With that Harry shut the door and smirked. He could just imagine Snape's incredulous face now. Harry went back to Snape's quarters and into the guest room they had stuck him in. He grabbed a sandwich and his broom and ate it quickly. He opened the door to the dungeons and realized something. There was no one in the hallways. Who was to stop him from flying through the hallways on the way to the pitch? Like all bad ideas that fly into a preteen boy's heads this one seemed like the perfect plan.

In a rare fit of childhood indulgence Harry mounted his broom right there in the hallway and hovered up. He then shot forward like a bullet down the hallway. He sped up the moving stairs and had to hold back a giggle at the grumbling portraits he passed. As he approached the doors he waved his hand and a burst of magic opened them. When he was outside he flew straight up and yelled in triumph. He had flown through the dungeons of Hogwarts!

He flew over to the quidditch pitch and began to get creative. Feinting at the ground and do barrel rolls and swirls on his broom. When Harry flew he could forget about his terrible life. He was one with the air and didn't have to worry about burning the breakfast or being whipped with a belt. No when he was on his broom he was free and in control.

Hours passed but for Harry he hardly noticed. Harry decided that if he was going to be an animagus he would be a bird. Someone who could fly all on their own, powerful and free. Harry probably would've flown through dinner until there was no more light to see if it hadn't been for him seeing a dark clothed figure making his way towards the pitch. Harry rolled his eyes and descended down right next to the man and jumped off his broom.

Snape merely stared at him and motioned for him to follow. Harry did and followed behind Snape at a far enough distance. They entered the school and went down to the dungeons, Snape got out the food and Harry put his broom away. Harry returned and sat on the far end of the table away from Snape being as defensive with his food as usual.

"Potter. How did you know I was awake?"

"You are constantly spouting off about being safe in the classroom and to stay focused when brewing unless you want to die. It was highly unbelievable you would fall asleep while brewing."

"Why finish the potions then?"

"That's what you wanted wasn't it?"

Snape grunted and focused on his food. Harry snorted and finished his meal quickly. He took his plates to the sink and rinsed them. He knew there were probably elves who did that in Snape's quarters but they had enough on their hands and he could easily wash his own plate. Once that was done he went back to his own room. He pulled out his wand and decided to experiment. He slid his wand into his fingers and focused on an image of a snake. He should still be able to speak the language of snakes without a snake right?

 _"_ _Lumos."_ He said.

Nothing happened.

 _"_ _Light"_

A bright flash of light and then nothing.

 _"_ _Continuous light."_

An extremely bright light blared from his wand.

 _"_ _Less."_

It dimmed to nearly nothing.

 _"_ _Stop light."_

It went out. Did the spells really need to be that specific? Harry made the decision to find out all he could about Parselmagic. During the next two weeks they got into a sort of schedule. Harry would eat in Snape's quarters for every meal and then he would spend the rest of his time scouring the library for information on parselmagic.

The giant library of Hogwarts had nothing. No knowledge, not even in the restricted section, which he had scoured over. He did however read several accounts on the story of Salazar Slytherin. Apparently the man had left a secret chamber in the school that would hold a monster and all of his knowledge. Harry decided that he was going to spend the rest of the summer finding the chamber of secrets. There was very little information in the books about the location but that made sense, there were a couple of sources Harry could ask. The first he chose was rather easily accessible.

"Professor Snape? I have a question if you aren't too busy?" Harry asked at dinner.

"Not at all Mr. Potter. What is your question?"

"What do you know about Salazar Slytherin and the infamous Chamber of Secrets? I've been searching the library but the books haven't been all that open about the whole mess."

Harry hide a smirk when Snape coughed up whatever he had been drinking over his surprise. It took him a moment to answer.

"According to my knowledge the entrance to the chamber has not been used in Hogwarts history. If it exists, which I doubt, it is well hidden. Why do you ask?"

"I'm researching it for a History of Magic project of course. Dear old Binns is my favorite professor." Harry lied easily. "You do make a close second though."

For a moment Harry could've sworn he saw a smile grace the lips of the other man. The next option for information was the ancient ghosts. They might know something. The first ghost on his list was one who people normally didn't associate with. He went down to the second floor girl's bathroom and knocked politely before entering.

"Excuse me is Miss Myrtle in here?" Harry called.

A gray ghost of a girl around Harry's age floated into his view.

"Who are you?"

"Well My name is Harry Potter and well I came to meet you and ask you some questions. I heard you were a very knowledgeable ghost."

If a ghost could blush this one did and she giggled.

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you know anything about the chamber of secrets?"

"Oh that horrid place!"

Myrtle proceeded to then prattle on about her final year at Hogwarts. The fear and panic, students becoming petrified and no one having a clue as to who was behind it. She told him quietly of her death about how a boy had hissed at the sink over there when she had been crying and the next thing she saw was bright yellow eyes. Harry was a great listener and made her feel important and better. Inside he was rejoicing, it had been too easy to find the chamber but now he had to find out how to open the chamber and how to protect against whatever beast was inside.

Harry couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he went down for dinner that evening. He practically skipped into his chair and sat down easily across from Snape. He did not notice the hopeful expression that Snape was throwing him. Harry forgot about defending his food while his mind mulled over the possible types of creatures that Salazar would've employed. It had to be something flashy, the man had to do everything with flair. Probably a snake or snake related beast so that he could control it. Something with yellow eyes.

"What has got you in such a good mood Potter?" Snape asked quietly.

"I just had a huge breakthrough in my research. I realized I had been looking in all the wrong places for my information. The library has been entirely unhelpful this past week."

"What have you been looking for?" Snape asked hoping the secretive boy would answer.

"The Chamber of Secrets." Harry answered calmly.

Snape choked that had not been the answer he had been expecting but the boy was talking so why not push.

"What did you find?"

"The entrance of course. Now I just need the password and a way to defend myself from whatever creepy crawly Salazar left down there for me to find. Then I can read all of his journals and books. Find his notes all of the information he stored down there." Harry said excitedly like a child would on Christmas day.

"Don't tell me you are thinking of going down there?"

"Of course not. At least not yet. I've no clue what the password is or what the monster is down there. I mean it may be entirely possible that I am unable to open it because the password is in Parseltongue. The password could be as simple as "Slytherin is the best" or as complex as a Latin incantation mixed with a blood sacrifice."

Snape couldn't help it he snorted.

"Or perhaps it requires a dance number filled with song to show your devotion to all things pureblooded." Harry continued. "I'm sure I could choreograph something to show my passion for all things Nazi."

And Snape laughed. A loud bellowing laugh that no person would have ever believed him capable of. When he calmed he looked over at Harry who was staring at him with undisguised confusion and he broke down once again. Once he had finally stopped laughing he looked at Harry.

"So where is the entrance to the fabled Chamber of Secrets?"

"That would be a secret my dear professor. If you want to know you spend a week and a half looking through hundreds of books. Once you've put enough effort in I might allow you to be part of the dance number so we could get in. I imagine the potion journals alone would make it worth it."

"Potter there are some things we need to discuss."

"What do we need to talk about sir?"

"The headmaster wishes for you to talk to someone about your experiences with your relatives."

"The headmaster can go eat a hat."

"Nevertheless." Snape choked out. "I've told him I would try and get you to open up in the evenings."

"Open up? To you the man who practically bullied me? Is he delusional or does he think I'm stupider than I truly am?"

"Potter, whether you like it or not we are discussing this."

"There's nothing to discuss." Harry said quickly.

"Every evening we will sit here. We will talk or sit in silence for a few hours whatever makes you feel better but eventually you will talk."

"I am very stubborn sir and have had my entire life to learn to sit quietly."

Snape nodded and they began. Harry would sit there and day dream and Snape would sit there looking at him. For two hours every evening. This continued for a week during that time Harry determined it was probably a Basilisk in the chamber. The snake was probably also in hibernation. So Harry wouldn't have to deal with it. Harry had been living with Snape for three weeks when Snape finally broke down and used a potion.


	8. A Trip Into The Maze

**Chapter 8! Woot Woot, there is much rejoicings in the land. Things start to really heat up this chapter and I really enjoyed writing it. Review and tell me what you think, i'm curious about how you feel the plot is going. Also two guesses about where Harry goes to.**

Snape had not imagined the boy would be so stubborn as to say nothing for an entire week. So he decided to drug him, he was not a patient man after all. Not with something as serious as veritaserum but a potion that was more of a mind weakener. It relaxes the person who ingests it and makes them more amenable to talking about their secrets. They aren't forced but it generally pushes them too. He made the potion and slipped it into the pumpkin juice that Harry always drank. He felt a sense of accomplishment. If he could show the boy once that talking about his problems wouldn't be a dangerous thing then he would do it again right?

For some reason Snape thought it would be a great idea. It wasn't in fact it was a terrible idea. So that evening Snape poured the potion into the drinks before Harry arrived and waited. He could barely contain his smirk when the boy downed the juice. He quickly led them to the couch and had Harry sit down. He looked at the boys eyes and saw that they were properly dilated. He sat down and tried to look calm.

"So Potter."

"Yes sir?"

"Why did your Uncle nearly murder you three weeks ago?"

"I wouldn't say nearly." Harry slurred. "I would've healed up pretty quickly. I only sent for help because Hedwig insisted. It was one of Uncle's nicer beatings."

"Nicer?" Snape growled out.

"Oh. I mean it hurt don't get me wrong but this one was more deserved and he left me alone to heal. If had really wanted me to suffer he would've stayed there and watched me bleed."

"Why was this one deserved?"

"He got a bunch of owls over the school year. Or at least that's what he was complaining about on the way home. Apparently every time I got into trouble they received an owl. It didn't bother them I was in trouble just that they were notified and that I survived."

"Why should you get beaten for that?"

"I didn't think about the fact that they would be notified. If I thought ahead a little I could've asked the elves to keep mail from going there. I didn't think about it so it's my fault really." Harry said with a dismal resigned expression.

"Do you honestly believe you are responsible?"

"Of course." Harry said as if it was so obvious. "I knew how to survive in that house. I knew the rules and neglected one of them. It's my fault I deserve the consequences."

"What kind of things in that house get you punished?"

"Speaking out of turn, not finishing my chores correctly or on time, eating out of turn, being in the way, being sick. Just existing mostly." Harry slumped down at that point.

"Potter you do realize that that is not normal behavior?"

"It is if you're bloody Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. I'm meant to live this awful life, truly."

"What?"

"I should've died. I really should be dead. What kind of baby survives a killing curse? What kind of baby has to recall seeing their mother murdered before their eyes all the time? I deserve to live an awful life. I can't really live at all."

With that Harry stood up and walked towards his room looking despondent. He went into his room and Snape leaned back stunned by the realizations. Did the boy truly believe he deserved to be beaten? A few minutes later Harry came out with a robe over him.

"I'm going for a walk be back in a while."

Before Snape could stop him the boy was gone. He did not try to follow him after all the boy was probably thinking about what had happened and wanted to be alone. He would come back right? Snape stayed in that chair waiting for the door to open for four hours. He growled as he stood up. Maybe the boy had asked an elf to pop him directly into his room?

Nope. Potter was not in the quarters. Snape groaned as he realized something. He had never set a curfew for the boy. He could not punish him as he had told him that he had left. Potter would surely make a racket about it if he even tried.

 _Since when am I this careless?_

 _Since when have you actually cared for more than one other person?_

 _I care about people._

 _Name three._

 _Albus, Lily, and my mother._

 _Two of those people are dead._

Snape had nothing to say to that. So instead he stood up and walked out into the corridor. He laid his wand down and tried the locator spell. 'Point Me Harry Potter!' The wand spun around and then pointed upwards and to the left. _Good he is still in the castle. I suppose I will just have to follow him._ So Snape walked up the stairs and cast the spell periodically to adjust his directions. He finally came upon the haunted girl's bathroom on the second floor. Snape stood there. Why would he have come to this bathroom? It was then that heh heard a high voice with an echoing to it.

"Harry." Myrtle yelled. "Someone is outside the bathroom! Come on out."

"I'm coming Myrtle!" Snape heard Harry yell from somewhere far away.

Snape tried to open the door but found it locked. So instead he waited for the noises to come closer so he could knock. In about a minute he heard stone grinding and the sound of pipes moving. Was the boy in a secret passage? The door opened to show Harry looking like a complete mess. His hair was even crazier than normal and filled with dirt and cobwebs. His robe was covered in mud and torn in places. He had a gash on his left hand that looked painful along with numerous cuts along his face and arms. In his right hand he held a book that looked ancient and he had a delirious smile on his face. As if he had won the lottery.

"Mr. Potter. Where were you?"

"Professor. It was amazing. Absolutely spiffing. By far the greatest thing I've ever seen. I can't believe that I had waited so long to go down there."

"Where was down there?"

"Oh I can't tell you. I promised to keep it a secret. Besides only I can get down there anyhow."

"Potter you are injured." Snape decided to move onto a new route.

"What you mean my hand?"

"Yes you have a hole it in. Now hold still so I can heal it."

"No!" Harry shouted pulling his hand away. "It has to heal naturally any kind of magic on the wound will make it worse."

"Potter tell me what happened."

"No. It's very important that no one but me knows what is down there."

This was the Potter Snape knew the arrogant one who thought he knew best. The one who didn't trust adults or respect authority figures. Snape took in a deep breath and decided to initiate some Slytherin cunning.

"Potter. Are you aware of what legilimency is?"

"It's a mind magic right?" Harry answered while making his way back to the dungeons.

"Yes it allows the user to read the thoughts and memories of a person."

"Sounds kind of cool professor. Why bring it up?"

"Did you know that I am a very proficient legilimens?"

"No sir I didn't."

"Potter you can either tell me where you were or I can take it from your mind."

"I'd like to see you try sir." Harry said with a smirk.

So Snape grabbed Harrys face and with a wordless casting went directly into Harry's mind. Whatever Snape had been expecting landing face first into a maze was not one of them. The boy was either a natural occlumens or he knew exactly what legilimency was. With Potter it was probably the latter, no wonder he taunted me.

Snape stood up and dusted off his black robes to see that he was completely enclosed in the maze. There was no way out. Snape sighed and looked around if Potter was this thorough then he definitely made a way out.

"Potter! You were not supposed to trap me within your defenses!" Snape yelled to the 'sky'.

"Sorry." Harry's voice said.

"Potter come over here." Snape commanded.

Then out walked Harry, except it wasn't Harry. It was a boy who looked exactly like Harry wearing his school robes except he was dressed head to toe in hot pink. The boy had a strange smile on his face, one that still seemed completely natural.

"What are you wearing Potter?" Snape demanded.

"What I always wear. My name isn't Potter. It's Harry. I'm very glad you're here I never get visitors.

"Visitors?"

"Harry rarely visits me. He's too busy playing with the others to bother with me. That's okay though I'll be here when he needs me."

"What are you?"

"I'm a guardian for Harry's mind. I help him. I represent his capacity to love and care for others. Like I said he hasn't been using me much lately."

"How do I get out of his head?"

"Well either Harry can let you out or you make it to the end of the maze. I'm supposed to either help or hinder you depending on what Harry wants."

"How many guardians did Harry make?"

"Well let's see there's me Harry, there's James, there's Boy, there's Sal and then there's Potter. So five of us. You'll meet all of us if you have to go through the maze."

If the guardian was to be believed, which Snape was quite sure of, then Potter had created an intricate defense against intruders. This guardian seemed to be rather honest and Snape planned on using it.

"Can you give me any advice on getting out of here?"

"Sure. Harry likes you well enough. He thinks you're smart and pretty humorous so he shouldn't be bothered with me helping you a little."

Snape was stunned and merely nodded

"Well. Avoid Potter he wears black and well he isn't the nicest. He might try and kill you if he sees you. James and Sal are usually always fighting so try and keep them on task. Boy will be the hardest to get help from. He wears gray and tends to hide a lot. If you find him don't yell or you won't find him again. I can lead you to the end of my part of the maze but then I can't help you anymore."

"Thank you, Po-Harry."

The pink clad guardian flashed him a huge gigawatt smile. Harry led him on the path and helped him avoid traps. He found this part of child in his care rather interesting. He imagined this loving side was something the boy had buried deep inside of himself. Just like Snape himself had. This boy tended to smile and laugh. He was open and trusting. Things that the real whole Harry certainly wasn't very often. When he made it to the end of the domain of Harry he saw a clear difference.

The walls of maze before had been light colors pinks, reds and oranges there was a clear line and the lines instantly became greens and blue

"Who will I meet next?"

"Sal probably it is his domain." Harry answered. "Be careful Professor Snape. Harry doesn't know that you're in here he is in the inner sanctum. Once you get there, if you get there, he will get you out."

Snape nodded and walked over the line. When he turned back he saw that Harry was gone. He continued on looking for traps and finding none. Suddenly the maze opened up into a clearing and inside were two Harry's one wearing red and gold and one wearing green and silver.

"James! It is your fault he's in here at all!" The green one yelled.

"SAL HE WAS THREATENING HARRY! I AM NOT GOING TO LET THAT GO!"

"WELL IF YOU HAD LET ME SPEAK AT ALL THEN WE COULD'VE GOTTEN OUT OF THERE WITH NO PROBLEMS."  
"OH YES SAL THE ONE WHO IS SO GREAT AT IMPROMPTU DECSIONS!" James snapped back sarcastically.

Snape watched the back and forth with interest. It would seem Sal was Harry's cunning and wisdom while James was his bravery and impulsiveness. His Gryffindor and Slytherin sides and they were of course arguing with each other. How appropriate. Snape cleared his throat.

"Excuse me gentlemen."

James' wand was instantly out and pointed at him while Sal stiffened and glared at him.

"Hello sir." Sal said.

"S'up git?"

Snape's eyebrow twitched oh yes James had no impulse control whatsoever,

"I am trying to get out of here and was instructed that I would need your help." Snape said ignoring the arrogant boy and focusing on Sal.

"James shut it and I'll figure it out,"

"Fine Sal but if he says one thing about dad I'll punch him."

"Noted." Sal said while adjusting his glasses. "Now Professor. What would I gain if I helped you?"

"What could you possibly want?" Snape demanded.

James pulled on Sal's robe and brought his ear close to his face. They did a lot of whispering Snape couldn't hear but he did notice that Sal's eyes widened at the first whisper. Finally Sal nodded and faced Snape again.

"There is an irregularity in the mind that we would like you to look at. Harry doesn't know it's there but we do since we are designed to look for danger in the mind. It's foul and we need to know how to get rid of it before it causes anymore damage."

"Where is it?"

"It's close to the end of the mind not in the maze at all. James could get you there for a while so you could see it and hopefully identify it. You would only have a few minutes before you are sucked back into the maze." Sal said. "If you look at it and do your best to identify it then Sal and I will lead you through our respective domains safely."

"Deal." Snape said.

James smiled a dumb smile and ran off. He came back a few minutes later with the Nimbus 2000 broom and jumped on. James motioned for Snape to get onto the broom as well. Snape fought to keep a blush from creeping up his neck. Who in the cosmos had he hurt so much to deserve this? He clambered on and they shot off like a rocket. He gripped James' shoulders tightly as they flew over the maze and shut his eyes. Was he trying to get himself killed?

After what felt like an eternity to Severus they landed and Snape saw exactly what had the guardians worried. Almost instantly his left arm began to burn as he looked at the wound. It was the same shape as the scar that adorned the boy's forehead. It radiated evil, hatred and pain. It was what was left over after that failed curse years ago and it was awful. How could he fix this?

Suddenly he felt a tug as if someone had lassoed a rope around his middle and was now pulling him back like a fish. He saw James smile and wave as he was pulled back into the maze. The ride was smooth but the landing was anything but gentle. He stood up and found Sal looking at him worriedly.

"You alright professor?"

"Yes." Snape said getting up quickly.

"So what is it?"

"It's the remnants of the killing curse. It's pretty dark magic. I will have to consult books about it after I get out of here but it definitely cannot be left alone forever."

"Alright then. Make sure to keep your promise."

With that Sal led Snape through the intricate maze. Snape didn't want to distract Sal and the boy seemed content to say nothing. So his journey through the green-blue maze came to an end quickly enough. Then it abruptly turned red and gold. The Gryffindor colors were obnoxious. James was standing there smiling a stupid grin.

"Hey! Let's get going." James said.

Snape rolled his eyes and followed.

"So Snape. What did you think of our fortifications? I mean be honest Harry worked hard on these."

"They are rather impressive for one so young." Snape said after a moment of thought.

"Thanks! Harry didn't make it in mind of keeping people out but more of controlling what he thinks about and remembers." James said happily. "It's been great for him since now he can sleep without nightmares and stuff."

"Why did you name yourself James? In fact why do you all have different names at all?"

"Well Harry made five of us and we were supposed to work together to protect his mind. It's kind of hard to do when you all think you're Harry. So the pink Harry suggested we give ourselves names to help stop confusion."

"Care to explain each of your names?"  
"Well Harry, the pink guardian, called himself Harry since that's what Harry wants to do most in the world. I mean Harry's greatest desire is to love and help people. Sal named himself after Salazar Slytherin because he thinks he is super cool. Boy well you'll understand why Boy named himself that when you meet him. Potter, I rarely talk to him he is kind of hard to be around all the time. I think he named himself that because it makes Harry angry when he is called Potter."

"Why would he dislike his last name?"

"I mean it's pretty simple really. He doesn't know his father. He has no memories of his dad. All Harry can recall of his father is him yelling at his mother to go run that they had been betrayed, to protect him. Every time someone calls him Potter, tells him he looks exactly like his dad or stares at his scar he is reminded of what he could have had. What was taken away. That and everyone he calls him Potter never does it in a nice way. You, Malfoy and the other slytherins use Potter as an insult." James said easily.

"Why do you trust me so much when Harry doesn't?"

"Well I'm not all of Harry. Sal, Harry and I all trust you but Boy and Potter don't. Harry takes into account all parts of himself when he decides to share himself with others. He is going to be plenty angry when he finds out we spoke so freely to you. Harry is at a cross roads half of him trusts you, a part of him is just terrified and another part is just angry. Angry at you, the world, at everyone." James said. "Harry learned a long time ago to ignore his anger but he never could completely ignore his fear."

"You never said why you named yourself James?"

"Well it's for two reasons. Firstly it's Harry's middle name. Secondly I am all of Harry that is Gryffindor in nature. One of the few positive things we have ever been told about our dad is that he was a Gryffindor through and through. I wanted to honor that."

"I see." Snape for once holding himself back from spiting venom at the mention of James bloody Potter.

"Well this is the end of my domain. You're going into Boy's territory now. Be nice please."

With that James disappeared and Snape found himself in a gray walled maze. It looked depressing and frightening. Something a horror movie would create. It was then that he heard the scrambling. He didn't see the whole body but he saw floppy broken down tennis shoes. It was the next guardian. Snape knew exactly who Boy was now. It made his normally cold heart break a little. That action was happening a lot around Potter.

From around the corner large green eyes stared out at him. Wary and afraid. Snape knelt down and put his hands out slowly to show he wasn't going to make any sudden moves. The green eyes watched him carefully.

"Hello. You know who I am right? You don't have to come closer I just want to know if you know me." Snape said quietly with silk lining his voice.

"You're Professor Snape." A tiny voice said accompanied with a nod.

"Good. So then you know I won't ever hit you right? I've never hit a child no matter how dunderheaded they've acted."

The head nodded but the eyes still looked wary. He watched as they glanced down to the wand holster that held his wand. Snape understood, just because you don't physically hit doesn't mean you won't hex, jinx, or curse.

"I'm going to remove my wand and move it over to you to show you that I won't use magic against you either. Is that okay?"

The head nodded again, the boy was still using the corner of the maze to protect most of his body but he was slowly inching out into the open. Snape slowly removed his wand and rolled it over to the boy. Tiny hands went out and snatched it up. Snape watched as the small child version of Harry studied the wand quickly.

"Now since I can't use magic against you and you know I won't hit you would you mind coming out so we can talk?"

Slowly the boy inched out. He wore completely worn down shoes two sizes too big. His pants had holes in the knees and were tied to his thin frame with a rope. His shirt which was torn in places and had dark brown stains was much too large for him. He had a purple bruise on his left cheek and his glasses were bent and cracked. His arms looked almost skeletal thin and it wasn't hard to believe that underneath his baggy clothes he was emaciated. Snape remained neutral despite the fact that he was furious with the damn muggles who had done this to Harry for so long.

"What do you want sir?" The boy croaked out.

"Well if you wouldn't mind I want to help you and Harry. He needs my help so that he doesn't have to feel so scared all the time. I want to help you feel better. Will you let me do that?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Well first if you give me back my wand I can heal that bruise on your cheek wouldn't that feel better?"

The boy seemed to consider this for a moment before warily handing back the wand and getting into a stance that would allow him to run quickly if needed. Snape waved his wand slowly allowing the boy to see his movements. He cast the bruise healing charm and watched as it vanished.

"Does that feel better?"

"Yes sir." The boy said in amazement.

"Do you mind if I use a little more magic to fix your clothes and glasses?" Snape asked slowly, he had to be careful or the boy would run.

"Okay. That's fine I guess."

So Snape cast each spell with a patience he didn't know he possessed. He transfigured new shoes first handing them to the boy and waiting for him to put them on. Then he told him to take of the belt so that he could shrink the pants. He shrunk the pants and then the shirt. He cast a repairing spell on his glasses. At each piece of magic the boy seemed to calm and trust him more. When he finished he lowered his wand so he could continue.

"Now that I've helped you would you mind helping me help someone else?"

"Who?"

"Harry. I need to get through this maze so that I can help Harry who is inside."

"Why does he need help? He is so strong. Not like me I'm still a freak."

"No you are not a freak." Snape said patiently. "No even if Harry is strong he is still scared and I want to help him like I helped you. Will you help me?"

After a few moments of silence the boy nodded and Snape gave a sigh of relief. Snape stood up and holstered his wand while he followed the small boy through the maze. The boy looked to be the size of a three year old but was probably around five or six. He led Snape confidently through the maze though glad to be of help to his own helper. They came to the end quickly and the boy ran away before Snape could say a word.

The final walls that he had to face were as black as anything he had ever seen. He knew he must be in the domain of Potter soon. He had been told to avoid Potter by two different guardians. He stood still as the realization hit him like a freight train. Potter was Harry's anger, his hatred, his bitterness. Potter would more than likely attack me than help me through the maze. So Snape was instantly on the defensive. His wand was slid out and he looked around. He didn't want to touch the walls since there were traps placed along them. He walked along with his eyes roving. It was then he heard the shouts of spell fire. First year offensive spells being shot and yelled at. So Potter was training?

Snape moved stealthily and walked around a corner. He saw a line of training dummies and a Potter wearing robes blacker than even Snape's own. The boy was firing off curses at each dummy with a grim look. His green eyes were hardened and without mercy. This was Potter angry? As the boy was firing he smirked and flipped around so his wand was trained right on Snape.

"Give me a good reason to not blast you?"

"Harry would feel bad about it." Snape said quickly.

"Which one the pink prick or the real one?"

"Both. The real one would feel bad attacking anyone and you know it."

"You came in here without invitation so that you could learn about something that has nothing to do with you. I think Harry would understand." Potter said.

"I want to help you Potter."

"I don't want your help. Harry has never needed any adults help." Potter said imperiously.

"Do you think it's normal for an 11 year old to be scared all the time?"

"No. Of course it isn't normal." Potter said bitterly. "I am angry at that fact. The fact that Harry never got a childhood, never had love growing up, always had to fight for survival."

"If you let me I can give that to him now."

"What are you trying to imply that you would love Harry? Support him? Tell him you're proud and give him hugs?" Potter said with his eyebrow raised. "I don't believe it. You hate him, or at least you hate our father and act like you hate us."

"I am fully capable of c-caring for Harry." Snape said trying to be confident despite the stutter.

Potter walked up and looked him straight in the eyes. They dug into his soul as if looking at every aspect and judging him. Finally he nodded Snape sagged in relief.

"Fine let's go. But if you let Harry down I will take over for a moment and murder you. I know enough about hatred to make it possible."

"Understood." Snape said and he didn't doubt it.

So Potter led him through the final part of the maze. It was by far the most awkward of all of the guardian encounters. Potter glared at everything and grumbled under his breath. He was just so angry. Which really wasn't surprising Harry as a person had a lot of anger. The world had been cruel to him and it made sense that Harry would have a guardian that personified it all. It would be a good defender.

They came upon the end of the maze which was at the center of it. There was a large stone door. That was clearly locked.

"I'll open the door for you but after that I'm going to leave you. Harry is inside somewhere good luck." He said although the good luck could've been mistaken for an 'I hope you die.' instead.

Potter put both of his hands against the door and started to push hard on it until it creaked open.

"Get in." Potter groaned out under the pressure.

Snape squeezed in and the door slammed shut behind him. He looked around and was amazed by the intricacy of it. It was very well protected. He saw the room labeled 'Uncle Vernon' and winced at the chains that locked the door. He looked at each of the doors he passed until he saw one that was open. It was labeled 'Potions'.

He went inside the room that looked exactly like a potions lab. He could tell the books along the walls held the memories. He looked round and saw Harry reading one of the books.

"Harry."

The boy shot up and dropped the book.

"Professor! How did you get in here?"

"When I used legilimency I got pulled into your maze. What happened to you?"

"Well I felt your presence in my mind so I went straight here to protect it while waiting for you to give up and leave. I didn't think you would make it through the maze."

"Your guardians decided to help me, since I couldn't leave once I got there."

"Oh. I certainly will have to fix it so it doesn't trap people."

"No it's a good defense. The guardians were the only reason I got through and I had to convince each one of them to help me."

"You got all of them to help you?"

"Yes."

"Well then you're a better man than I. I've never been able to get them to agree on anything."

"Potter. Can we leave now? I think we have things to discuss."

"I suppose. Except I don't really know how to get out. Usually I come here in my sleep and leave when I wake up. I've never had anyone else here."

"Potter only you would learn just half of occulmency." Snape groaned. "This is your mind what you say here goes. Just decide to leave and take me with you."

Harry glared at him a little but closed his eyes so he could concentrate. Snape suddenly felt a tug on his stomach not unlike a portkey. He found himself back standing in the hallway. He pulled away from Potter and instantly felt tired and drained. How long had they been standing there? Potter also looked tired but was, by far, better off than Snape was.

"Come on Professor. I'm tired."

Snape said nothing and followed the boy down to the dungeons. They both went to bed and slept deeply. When Snape woke up it was past breakfast time. Harry was already gone into some part of the castle and there was a note on the table.

 _Professor,_

 _I am going to be doing some in depth study in one of the unused classrooms in the castle. I may be late for lunch but as you missed breakfast I think its okay. I will certainly be back for dinner._

 _-Harry Potter._

Snape growled. The boy was certainly taking a lot of liberties. Then again just last night he had without permission entered his mind. Snape felt instantly worse as he remembered the guardians. Potter's words sprang into his mind.

 _"_ _What are you trying to imply that you would love Harry? Support him? Tell him you're proud and give him hugs?"_

Snape had agreed then in the boys mind for many reasons. Potter had believed him. How can I even begin to care for another person? Snape sat down on the couch and began to think. The guardians had made it clear that Harry wouldn't trust easily. They trusted him separately but the whole person wouldn't. At least not yet. Snape thought back to his own childhood. He had trusted Lily because she had been so kind to him and she had believed him about magic.

 _What would I have wanted an adult to do for me?_

Firstly new clothing. The clothes I had growing up were distasteful at best and rags at worse. One of the first things Snape had done when he became an employed adult had been to buy decent robes. Then he had burnt the rags he had worn for years. Yes he could do that couldn't he? Snape got up and went over to the room Harry had been using.

It was completely clean. Nothing left on the floor everything packed up. Snape went over to the closet and opened to find it completely empty. Where were the boy's clothing? Snape looked around and saw the trunk. Was the boy living out of his trunk instead of unpacking? He opened the trunk and saw that it was indeed holding all of Potter's belongings.

The clothes if you could call them that were worse than the things Snape had had growing up. They were made for someone three times Potter's size. Snape rolled his eyes at the obvious signs of neglect they had all managed to not see. So an entire new wardrobe would have to be commissioned for the boy. Also an eye healer's appointment since the boy has obviously never even been. What else?

Thus Snape went out of the room and began to plan. He would help Harry see that he could trust him.


	9. A Family Name

**Chapter 9! Wee! This is where things get strange. I always felt that if Salazar Slytherin was going to build a giant chamber in the bowels of the school then he would've put way more into it than just a Basilisk. Serious question if Salazar Slytherin was alive like a thousand years ago but sinks systems were only invented like 300 years ago how in the heck did he create the entrance? Review and tell me what you think.**

Harry on the other hand couldn't believe the ways his life had changed in the past two days. First he had for some crazy reason started talking about his relatives. Once he started he couldn't stop and he had had to leave before he spilled anything too crazy. Harry had been too embarrassed to stay in their quarters so he had left quickly. Harry had wandered around for a while until he had found himself in front of the girl's bathroom on the second floor.

Harry wasn't one to deny fate and decided in a moment of Gryffindor rashness decided to explore the chamber of secrets. He went in there and greeted Myrtle and asked her to guard the door. She had agreed so he had opened the chamber. With a little hissing he said the password which wasn't even a password. Just the command to open. It opened up a slide. Harry decided without planning anything at all to just jump down.

The slide down was rather dirty. It hadn't been used for years and was filled with slime. Where does the slime even come from no one had been down here since the 1950's. It was just gross when he got to the bottom he looked around. He light up the hallway with his wand and saw how ridiculously large it was. He walked along the hallway and looked at the statues of Salazar Slytherin. He came up to a door and hissed for it to open. He walked into a large chamber that had a giant statue in the front and center. Harry began exploring the chamber using the fire spell to light each of the torches.

Once the room was lit up it didn't look so bad. He walked around the statue and saw a door. He walked up and tried to open it. It was locked of course. He hissed 'open' but that didn't work. Harry walked back to the statue that seemed to be the focus of the room. At the bottom of it were inscriptions. At first glance they were a bunch of scribbles but when he focused they changed into English letters.

 _To call out the defender of Hogwarts speak in the tongue of snakes 'Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!'_

 _To prove yourself worthy of the knowledge of Slytherin speak in the tongue of the snakes 'Test me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!'_

Harry snorted. Of course Salazar would make those things the password. Harry had no doubt the defender of Hogwarts was a Basilisk that he did not particularly want to meet. So he decided to be tested. Focusing his mind on the image of a snake he spoke out.

 _"_ _TEST ME, SLYTHERIN, GREATEST OF THE HOGWARTS FOUR!"_

The stone began grinding and the front of the statue opened up. Harry had to step back as it forced itself open to reveal something rather innocuous. A portrait and a chair facing said portrait.

"Sit down." The portrait intoned.

Harry walked in and sat down. I mean why not? He sat down and came face to face with the smug face of Salazar Slytherin. Harry's eyebrows went up into his hairline. All the books said that there were no surviving portraits of the founders. But there in front of him was the smug founder who looked pompous and ridiculous.

"Well. Tell me your name." Salazar said.

"Harry Potter."

"Potter is a Gryffindor family generally. How did you get my beautiful ability?"

"I don't know sir. I've had for as long as I can remember."

"Well if I am going to find out if you are worthy for my knowledge I need to know all about you. So start talking. This room is warded to let me know if you lie so don't bother."

So Harry began for the next three hours to recount his life to the man. He found him easy to talk to in fact it was easy to just talk, and he was understanding. When told of his parent's murder and his subsequent survival of the killing curse Salazar looked smug. As he described his childhood, Salazar looked furious, and when told of his first year of Hogwarts Salazar looked accepting. When he finished Salazar smiled at him.

"You've done admirable my boy. You are probably not my descendant but you can claim my name easily if you want."

"What do you mean?"

"I forgot raised by muggles." Salazar scoffed. "Years ago if you defeated a wizard you could take away his name. Lord Voldemort is my last descendant and you've defeated him twice. You can easily claim my name as your own. It would give you access to my vaults in Gringotts, the prestige of another pureblooded name and it would increase your power levels." Salazar mused. "In fact I insist you take upon my name! I never approved of Tom and I want a descendant to be proud of. Will you do it?"

"What do you need me to do?"

So Salazar outlined the ancient ritual. It was a spell mixed with a wound. The wound was given to show your devotion and willingness to take upon the name. The spell was used to call upon magic to show your defeat of the other wizard or witch in question. So Harry in the next 15 minutes prepared and did the spell under Salazar's watchful eye.

It was a Latin incantation that seemed to exude power. Once he finished the spell and stabbed his own hand. He felt the magic in air rise up. It whipped around him in unnatural winds and made him feel strong and weak at the same time. He felt himself being judged and each part of him being questioned and decided upon. It was insane. Finally the wind stopped and the air began to glow. It got hot and oppressive as the glowing began to collect into a ball right in front of him.

Before Harry could move the ball shot right into his chest and filled him with electric power. There was a searing pain that blinded him with its intensity. He went onto his knees clutching his chest and breathed in and out for a while. He probably would've stayed there if it hadn't been for Salazar clapping.

"Congratulations my boy. You are now my many times grandson. I want you to visit me often so I can teach you all that I know."

"Thanks sir."

"Don't you dare call me sir. Call me Grandpa, that's what my grandchildren used to call me before I died."

Harry stood up finally and nodded. He sat back down in the chair and smiled at his newly dubbed 'grandpa'.

"So Grandpa. What is parselmagic? I could never find any books on it anywhere."

"Well you wouldn't. I ensured that no books would ever be found in the library. In the wrong hands parselmagic is a dangerous tool."

"How?"

"Any spell done in Parselmagic can only be undone by parselmagic. Since Parselmouths are so rare, the magic can be rather dangerous."

"Can you teach me?"

"I will if you agree to teach no one else. You can tell no one what is down here."

"I promise."

"Good. Now I will teach you later but for now I think you need to rest. Taking upon new magics is draining on the body."

"What new magics?"

"Well you already had the Parseltongue but if you got that ability from an unnatural source like the failed killing curse, you were regiven it since it's my family's magic. Another ability my family is known for is the metamorphagus ability. Users can change their outward appearance at will. You were probably given that as well."

"Sweet!"

"Yes very, now go head back up out of my chamber. Bring the book over there with you. Read it and study it as much as you can once you've done that come back and I will help you."

Harry nodded and grabbed the book. Before he left Salazar reminded him not to let the wound on his hand heal with magic since it was created for a spell. As Harry was making his way back to the slide he heard Myrtle calling for him. Salazar had told him he could change it to stairs if he just commanded it to do so.

So as he called back saying he was on his way he hissed for stairs and ran up them. After the mind attack by the professor, Harry didn't really want to speak to him. So he left early in the morning grabbing some breakfast. He knew he couldn't postpone the inevitable but at least he could procrastinate till dinner. Harry brought with him only the book on parselmagic Grandpa had given him.

He went up to one of the unused classrooms on the fourth floor and began reading. It was rather an interesting read. Parselmagic was a very specific form of magic. You did it with the idea of it being rather permanent. Of course these things could be undone but that wasn't really the point. Parselmagic was meant to be a creator. Snakes just did things they were not finicky or indecisive so neither was their magic.

The healing spells section was fantastic. There was even a few spells on werewolf cures. Apparently if a parselmagic user was strong enough they could banish the curse. Harry's mind was suddenly filled with ideas of helping people. Another part talked about how all parseltongues are usually magical snake amagi. It was such an interesting book that Harry read through it all and then did it again. There were parts on parselscript and things Harry had never even heard of. Harry had no problem reading it through lunch.

Around 3pm his stomach began to grumble so he made his way down to the kitchens. When he got there he greeted the elves and told him about how he was pretty much healed up. He asked about how their work was going and generally caught up on their lives. Millie was very happy that her porridge had helped so much. She gave him a special chocolate cookie and sent him on his way.

So he made his way back to the dungeons. Eating on the chocolate cookie that was warm, gooey and filled with chocolate pieces. It was really delicious and completely distracted him from his impending doom. He was going to meet with Snape after all that had happened. He opened the doors to their quarters and saw that Snape was already seated.

"Hello, Professor. I am just going to put my book back and I'll come to the table."

Harry walked quickly to the guest room and put the book under the pillow. He walked back out and sat down at the table in the spot farthest from Snape. Harry waited until Snape served himself and then took food. As they ate Snape began the conversation.

"Potter. I would like to apologize for entering your mind without permission. It was not right to do that."

"That's okay professor. Just don't do it again. I mean it's not like you learned anything right?"

"Well." Snape began. "Your guardians were rather outspoken."

"What did they tell you?" Harry asked nervously.

"You are aware they gave themselves different names right?"

"Well yeah."

"Well James told me you don't like being called Potter."

"That's true I don't." Harry agreed.

"Boy didn't really tell me anything but his actions were quite telling." Snape said. "Potter by far was the most interesting."

"How so?" Harry asked trying to sound calm.

"I had no idea you were so angry."

"Can you really blame me?" Harry demanded.

"No. It just made me realize I was going about this the wrong way. I was expecting you to trust me without me showing even a modicum of proof that I was trustworthy."

"Huh?"

"If I want you to talk about your life then I need to show you that I care." Snape continued. "I will start tonight."

"What are you talking about?"

"I am going to start actually helping you. Tonight. You need new clothing. The one's your relatives gave you were atrocious and you need not wear them anymore."

"What?"

"Tomorrow, I'll give you a catalog and you just circle what you need and I'll order it. Get enough clothes for about five days, as well as a formal outfit." Snape continued ignoring Harry's confusion.

"If you think I'll owe you anything for this." Harry began.

"I don't. Consider it a gift and forget who gave it to you if it helps you accept it." Snape answered. "I'll have the catalog for you at breakfast."

Harry clearly struggled with the idea of accepting anything from the man. Harry couldn't come up with an argument against the gift so decided he would talk about it to Grandpa. How weird is it to call him that? He also decided to ask him what him what his name was now. Was he still Harry James Potter or was he now Harry Slytherin? Harry merely nodded at the mind his mind racing trying to understand the rationale behind the man buying him an entire wardrobe. He couldn't say anything about it until he understood Snape's motivation. After dinner they sat down in silence on the couch. Harry merely sat there and stared at the fire while Snape sipped tea and stared at him.

After an hour Snape sent Harry to bed. Harry walked in there calmly and got into his pajamas. He was going to visit Grandfather Slytherin in a few hours but he didn't want Snape to know he was leaving. He stayed in the bed for an hour relaxing as best he could. He glanced at the clock in the guest room and saw that it was a good enough time. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and left Snape's quarters. Harry did not know he was being followed.

Harry moved quickly through the dungeons he went straight up the stairs and hoped none of them would move. He nearly ran into the bathroom door. He opened the door slightly and didn't bother to say hello to Myrtle. He went directly to the sink and leant over. He hissed open 'Open stairs.' He bolted down the stairs and when he got to the bottom took off the cloak. Harry relaxed and began the walk towards the chamber.

So, Snape, he said he wanted to earn my trust? Why would he want that? Maybe because he cares? No that's ridiculous. Snape would never care for him. No adult would. Except it seemed Salazar liked him well enough, but he was dead. He came up to the doors and hissed for them to open. He closed the doors directly behind him and smiled.

He walked up to the statue and hissed the password to open the chamber with Salazar's portrait inside.

"Hey Grandpa." Harry said.

"Harry good to see you. How is your hand?"

"It's healing well enough. I make sure to change the bandages regularly." Harry answered while he took a seat. "So I had a question."

"Ask away my boy." Salazar said with a flourish.

"What is my name now? I mean like I took your name right?"

"The ceremony is rather specific like that yes." Salazar intoned sarcastically. "What was your full name before this?"

"Harry James Potter."

"Then you would now be known as Harry James Slytherin Potter. That is until you take up the other names."

"Other names?"

"Harry I'm glad you came by. There are some other portraits I'd like you to meet. They are all in the door behind my statue. I'll meet you there."

"How do I get in?"

"It will open for you now."

"Okay."

So Harry went around and saw the door he had tried to open earlier. He grabbed the door handle and felt a jolt of magic. The door opened easily and he walked into a warm comfortable living room. The fire was burning merrily and there was no dust in sight. There was a couch that faced four large portraits. Each portrait housed its own occupant who looked excited to meet him. A plump woman with hair long enough to go down to her waist in golden curls. The second woman had long straight chocolate brown hair that was tied back from her face. Salazar was already there and next to him was a muscular man with bright white hair. The man wasn't old he looked to be in his late 30's but his hair was completely white. It hit Harry all at once these were the founders.

"Sal! I didn't think you had it in you to take a Gryffindor under your wing!" Godric yelled loudly.

"We all know Sal has a soft spot for kids with hard pasts." Rowena said with a small smile.

"I think its wonderful Sal has found us a new student." Helga said.

"Me a new student?" Harry sputtered.

"Of course." Salazar said. "You're my heir and I refuse to let you be anything but powerful and intelligent. That and you might be some of the other founder's heirs as well."

"What?"

"Well the Potters were always rumored to be heirs of the Gryffindor line. That and since you're a half blood you could be heirs from pureblooded squibs." Godric explained.

"How do we find out?"  
"The lineage potion!" Salazar said excitedly.

"I haven't ever heard of that."

"The lineage potion when added with blood of the subject while being poured onto a piece of parchment will create a list of the magical families you are part of and an heir too. It will also state your full magical name." Rowena explained.

"Sounds cool how do I make it?"

"No need! I have some stored in that room over there. Just bring in one of the vials labeled 'lineage' and come back in here."

Harry nodded and went to the directed room. Inside was a giant potions lab. It would have made Severus Snape faint in joy. Harry was impressed though not as much as a potions master would've been. He walked over to the cabinet that had a preservation spell on it. He opened it and saw a bunch of vials. They were alphabetically organized. He went down to the L section and saw a bright purple potion that was clearly ready for use. He grabbed one and went back into the room.

"Excellent! You found the correct one. No just cut open your finger open and put three drops of your blood in it. No more no less!"

"Is there a knife somewhere in here?"

"In the desk." Godric said.

Harry nodded and went over to the desk which also had parchment. He opened the vial and then used the knife to nick his finger. He squeezed out three drops into the potion which then turned a stark green.

"Now just pour it on the parchment. Get as much of it on there as you can." Salazar commanded.

Harry nodded and began pouring the viscous liquid all over the parchment. It slowly began to sink into the parchment. After a few moments words began to form in spidery writing.

 _Harry James Slytherin Potter_

 _Heirs to the families_

 _Slytherin_

 _Gryffindor_

 _Potter_

 _Peverell_

 _Related to the families:_

 _Hufflepuff_

 _Black_

 _(Heir apparent upon death of current head)_

 _Flamel_

 _(Heir apparent upon death of current head)_

 _Malfoy_

 _Prince_

Harry was surprised. Why had he never been told that he had so many families near him? Surely there was someone who was a blood relative who could have taken him in. I mean if he was the heir that meant the families were dead but there were four families who could've taken him in. Granted he wouldn't have wanted to be raised by Malfoy and the Flamel family may have been too old but the Hufflepuff family or the Prince family could've. Instead he had been left with his mother's cruel muggle relatives.

He went back and read the parchment to the founders. They were very happy with the news but noticed he wasn't so keen.

"What's wrong honey?" Helga asked.

"I was starved and beaten at my home. If this is parchment is accurate." Harry said ignoring Salazar's snort. "I had so many people who could've taken me and raised me better but instead I was left where I could be tortured."

The founders said nothing and were looking at the boy on the couch with looks of sadness and pity. They waited for Harry to compose himself.

"So what do I call you?"

"Call me Gramps!" Godric with a smug smile.

"Call me Grandma Ro." Rowena said.

"Call me Grandmother Helga."

"Alright. I have four grandparents. That's pretty cool." Harry said. "Now can I ask for your advice?"

"Of course!" They said in unison.

So for the next hour Harry went over his relationship with Severus Snape. He spoke about the sneers and cruel words throughout his first year. Then about the man's numerous rescues of him that year as well as from his relatives. Then he talked about the past three weeks and then the man's decision to buy him an entire wardrobe to replace the ones his relatives gave him.

"He said to see it as a gift and that I wouldn't owe him anything but I don't see how I can just take that at face value."

It was Rowena who spoke first.

"My dear Harry. I promise you that Severus Snape means you no harm. I am a seer and I know he has your best interests at heart. Please trust me on that."

"So you guys think I should let him buy me the clothes?"

"Certainly. Use this opportunity to move on from your past." Godric said.

"I also suggest finding out more of your family history. Go to Gringotts and get access to those vaults, claim the heir rings, and find out all you can." Salazar said.

"How would I get access to the vaults?"

"Go there and speak to a goblin. Say you want to use a lineage potion and get access to any vaults that are available. They will help you and give the keys to the vaults." Salazar instructed.

"I'll do that. I've got to go to bed now. Snape will be upset if he finds out I was gone. I'll come back once I've gone to Gringotts."

They said goodbye and Harry left the room. He closed both the door and the statue. Then he put the invisibility cloak back on. He opened the door and closed it quickly. As he walked he looked at the three families that could take him in. If they wanted him.

Harry walked quickly up the stairs and did not notice the disillusioned irate potions master in the bathroom. He hissed the pathway closed and walked out the door. He smiled to himself. He felt better after talking to the founders. They may not be alive but they liked him. They also gave him some great advice when it came to Snape. As he made his way back to Snape's quarters he put parchment with his real name on it into his pockets. He opened the door to see an angry Snape staring right at him.

"Potter. Take off the infernal cloak and tell me why in the hell you decided to go wandering around the castle at night."

Harry removed the cloak and felt embarrassed he wasn't supposed to get caught. He held the cloak tightly in his hands and looked Snape directly in the eye before speaking.

"You confused me at dinner. I didn't understand what you were trying to do." Harry said,

"That doesn't explain your asinine actions."

"I'm getting to that sir. I needed advice to understand what to do. So I went out to get it. I didn't know what to do so I went out and got the information I needed."

"Who did you go to for advice?" Snape asked in a dangerous tone.

"I can't tell you I promised to tell no one without permission." Harry said passionately.

"And you trust this person."

"With my life. They have proven themselves very trustworthy. I mean even you would trust them."

"Are you so sure of that? I do not trust easily."

"Neither do I."

"What advice did they give you?"

"They said that you have my best intentions at heart. Even if I don't trust you I should accept your help and trust them to know that you mean me no harm."

"Did they tell you anything else?"

"Yeah they told me I should go to Gringotts, and get my heir ring. Apparently they are important even though I've never heard of them."

"What?" Snape said utterly flabbergasted.

"Yeah they said it was important I get them as soon as possible. What are they sir?"

"Do you mean to tell me you know nothing of your heritage?"

"I know my parent's names. I didn't know what they looked like until Hagrid gave me pictures of them a month ago." Harry said bitterly. "Did you expect the Dursely's to tell me?"

"Potter, its late now but rest assured I am going to tell you about heir rings and such tomorrow. Once you have proper clothing I will take you to Diagon alley."

"Thank you sir." Harry then paused about to do something very stupid in his opinion. "Sir I have a request and a question for you."

"What is the question?"

"Have you ever heard of the Black or Prince families?"

"I have."

"So they are still alive then."

"In a sense yes." Snape said trying not to show his surprise. "The head of the Black family is in Azkaban since he was a strong follower of Voldemort. I am the head of the Prince family."

"What?" Harry sputtered. "Are you sure?" He demanded with wide eyes.

"My father's name was Tobias Prince, so after his death I became the head of the house." Snape said wondering why that would matter so much to the boy. "Now you had a request of me, Potter?"

"Yes would you please call me Harry? If you want to earn my trust then I think you should at least use my given name." Harry said.

"Alright, Harry." Snape said quietly almost in shock.

"Goodnight sir."

Harry went to bed less cheerful than he had been moments before. One of the families that could have taken him in was Snape! Harry didn't know how he felt about that. The other family, the Blacks were probably not all that willing to take him in. That left the Hufflepuff family, whoever that was. Unless they were evil people too. The more Harry thought about his life the more unlikely he thought that anyone would want to take him in.


	10. A Walk Down Nightmare Lane

**Chapter 10! The chapters are getting progressively longer as we go along. We aren't even halfway done yet! This is a Snape chapter and he decides to bring out the big guns because educating Harry Potter is at least a two man job. Review and tell me what you think!**

Severus Snape stood in the hallway for a long time mulling over what he had just learned. Whatever was down in the depths of the castle was well password protected and held inside a way to communicate with people Potter trusted. They are probably adults but how did they know that Severus was to be trusted? It spoke to a spy network, only he knew that he cared for the boy. He had told no one and would tell no one the warm feeling he had when Harry had asked him to call him by his first name. His 'love guardian' had made it clear that people he cared about called him Harry.

Harry had also been denied important knowledge and protection. The Potter heir ring had spells that protected its wearer. Potter had been denied those protections as well as basic knowledge of his family's history. It was infuriating, Harry deserved to know all about what it meant to be the head of a noble and ancient house. He knew nothing and instead grew up abused and as a pauper. It bothered Snape a lot and he knew he would need a lot of help.

It was at 11:14 pm Severus Snape floo-ed over to the only pureblooded family he could trust to help him. Malfoy Manor was as pretentious as always and the fire place he had entered led into an empty study. Snape waited for a few moments knowing his old friend was on the way. He was rewarded by a bothered looking Lucius Malfoy entering the room.

"Severus! What could you possibly need at this hour?"

"Lucius. I need your help but before I ask it. I have to ask you an important question."

"Anything Severus." Lucius said seriously.

"Are you loyal to the Dark Lord?"

"You know that I never was, Severus why would you even ask?"

"Because I have a severely abused Savior of the Wizarding World in my quarters and I need help."

"I can see this is quite a story. Tell me what has happened to you. Sit I'll have the elves bring us something." Lucius said trying not to look as surprised as he felt.

Severus gave the man an over view of what had happened. The state he had found the boy, near death. His command to help heal the boy and discovering that he truly wanted to help. Then the discovery that the boy had no knowledge about his birthrights. Throughout the story Lucius had gotten angrier and angrier until he was downright furious. Who could do that to a child?

"Lucius, I don't know how to help him. I need help."

"You honestly think Potter would accept my help? From what my son has told me Potter is very against him and his house."

"I don't think that's true. Draco can be rather insensitive and Potter probably took offense to it. I think if you met with him first and explained what it means to be the head of a noble and ancient house. The Princes are an old house but they haven't been as influential as yours or Potter's house in years."

"I could do that. I can come over tomorrow and explain the basics to him. Find out if he is willing to learn from me."

"Don't tell anyone of what Harry has been through. He has told me very little almost nothing. He is very untrusting and secretive, almost more Slytherin than I am at times." Snape said. "Come by around 11 in the morning. Just floo straight to my quarters and I'll introduce you."

"See you tomorrow Severus."

"Goodbye Lucius."

Snape went back through the fireplace and dusted off his robes when he was in his own quarters. He went to Harry's room and saw the boy passed out on top of the covers still in his normal clothes. Snape rolled his eyes. Did he have to be so irresponsible? Snape glided into the room he used his wand take off the boy's clothes and replace them instantly with some pajamas from the trunk. Then he tucked the boy in. He felt strange but also giddy doing this. He took off the boys glasses and set them on the table.

Just as Snape was about to leave the boy began to cry out.

"MAMA! DON'T! PLEASE DON'T KILL HER! LET ME DIE INSTEAD. NO NO NO AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Harry's scream was like the one he heard wizards use when they were under an extremely strong torture curse. Snape rushed over and grabbed the boy and pulled him into a hug. He rubbed the boys shoulders and whispered reassuring words. Finally the boy calmed and woke up. He stiffened and bolted out of Snape's arms. The boy had a wild look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Uncle for screaming. It won't happen again. I'm sorry." Harry began saying that over and over again.

"Harry!" Snape hissed. "You are not with your uncle you are at Hogwarts."

At the sound of his name Harry's eyes had cleared. He looked around recognized where he was and saw that Snape was sitting there looking terrified. Snape watched as the boy's mouth opened and a blush filled his face.

"Sorry sir. I didn't mean to wake you. It won't happen again."

"Harry do not apologize to me for having a nightmare. What was it about?" Snape pressed.

"I-I don't want to talk about it."

"It will make you feel better."

"Promise me you will never tell anyone ever. You can't ever tell a single soul." Harry said after a moment in an intense voice.

"I swear I will tell no one." Snape said seriously.

Snape felt once again the discerning gaze of the boy before him. He seemed to be considering him. Finally the boy uncurled himself and leaned against the headboard. He positioned himself so that he wouldn't look Snape directly in the eyes.

"I don't have that nightmare often. Only when I get really stressed. It's one of the worst ones I ever get." Harry began. "It starts out all blurry like I'm watching something without my glasses on. I'm laying down and a woman with red hair is playing with me. Next to her is a man with dark hair who is just smiling."

Snape felt his heart go cold at the thought of what the boy was describing. Did he really remember that night?

"Then there is this huge crash as if the sky had shattered above us. Then a bunch of cracks that sound like a car backfiring. The dream becomes clear all of a sudden. My father yells at my mother to run and hide me. They had been betrayed."

Harry stayed silent for a moment trying to compose himself to continue.

"She picked me up looking determined and scared at the same time. My dad says he will hold them off. My mom takes me to a room I assume was my bedroom. She puts me in my crib and asks me to stop crying. I hear a scream and know my father is dead. My mother starts to cry a little but stops when she sees me about to scream again. The door bursts open and a man enters he looks like he is in his 60's he has a wand and an ugly evil look on his face." Harry said, his face looking paler at every word.

"My mother stands up and prepares to face him. He disarms her easily, like it was child's play. He sneers at her and demands she step aside if she wants to live. He says he is only here for me. My mother yells 'Not Harry don't hurt Harry!' I try and tell her it is fine and that she should live but I can't I'm just a baby and reliving the memory. Apparently her defiance angered him, he yells words I won't repeat calling her awful things before finally casting the killing curse."

Harry shakes a little and Snape wonders what he should do. Everyone assumed the 11 year old didn't remember that night but he did and in perfect clarity. Snape said nothing and waited for him to finish. Harry continued after a moment.

"I watch as my mother falls to the ground her eyes still open but dead not glowing with life like they were meant to. I start crying and waving my arms trying to get her attention. Then the man moves closer and even as a baby I feared him. I stopped crying and turned to him. He moves closer and studies me for a moment. He says "So you were the one meant to stop me? No longer." He touches me then dragging his finger down my face. He steps back and the he casts the curse. The green light rushes right towards me. It hits and huge unimaginable amounts of pain erupts in my very being."

Harry shivered and then turned and looked Snape directly in the eyes with a haunted look that would stay in Snape's memory forever.

"It felt as if my very soul was being ripped out of me. My magic, magic I didn't know I had however was pulling it back. I felt like I was being torn in two. I remember an explosion after Voldemort got hit with the rebounded curse. Then I black out. The pain is too much." Harry said. "That's not the end of the dream though I see a light in the center of my vision and then a voice. A voice as deep as the ocean that sounds as if it has seen worlds come into being and pass away. Maybe it is the voice of the universe, the voice says. "You must go back you have much to do. Do not fail." Then I wake up with a blistering headache that doesn't go away for hours."

Harry was clearly finished. Snape knew he needed to do something but his mind had stopped working. Instead he let instincts over and he crawled into the bed right next to Harry. He put his arm around the boy and leaned into him. Harry tensed at first but as Snape began to card the Harry's hair the boy relaxed. Finally Snape began to speak.

"Thank you for telling me that. I cannot imagine how hard it was to recount it or even relive it in your dreams. You showed great strength composure and courage. I am sorry you had to endure that pain once more. Do require a potion for your headache?" Snape asked quietly.

"That-that would be nice." Harry croaked out.

"One moment and I will return."

Snape went out of the room and closed the door. He leaned against the wall and tried not to tremble. It was hard to imagine the pain Harry had suffered through in his short life. Snape used every bit of occulmency skill to calm himself and then he went and got out two vials of potions. One was a pain potion and one was a dreamless sleep. He returned to find Harry had curled up on himself.

"Harry I brought you a pain potion and a potion called dreamless sleep. You don't have to take it but it will make you sleep without having any dreams."

"I'll take it." Harry said after a moment.

Snape sat down on the bed and handed the pain potion to Harry who uncorked it after sitting up. Harry drained it and then handed the vial back to Snape only to receive the next potion. Harry gulped that one down and then collapsed. Snape moved to leave and let Harry rest but he felt an iron grip on his robes. He looked back to see desperation in Potters eyes.

"Please, please stay. I can't be alone." Harry begged.

Snape nodded and laid back down on the bed. Thankfully it was large enough to hold both of them. He used his wand to transfigure his robes into pajamas and then proceeded to get more comfortable. He felt Harry move around until the boy's head was on Snape's chest instead of a pillow. What was the brat doing? In a few moments the potion took effect and the boy was out using his professor's chest as a pillow.

Snape got as comfortable as possible and then set a spell to wake him at a good time so he could be ready to greet Lucius. Snape felt himself relaxing. He remembered the comfort he had felt as a small child sharing the bed with his mother after a particularly bad day with his father. She would card his hair and tell him it was going to be fine and he would sleep feeling safe and protected. That same feeling of comfort filled him now. Harry needed him and he could provide.

Morning came too fast. Snape woke up in the room he wasn't used to and was surprised at the weight on his chest. He looked down and saw the wild hair. Last night's events came crashing down on him and he was hit with the amount of progress he had made with the boy. The boy had confided in him something deep and meaningful and then looked to him for comfort. Something he would not have imagined would have happened three weeks ago.

Snape slowly extracted himself from underneath the boy. It was 9:30 and he needed to get breakfast ready. He left the room and shut the door behind him. He went to his room and got dressed for the day trying to ignore the signs of fatigue that were on his face. He went into the kitchen and ordered breakfast. Within a few minutes of the food appearing he watched Harry stumble wearily into the nearest chair which happened to be the one right next to Snape.

Snape ignored the positive feeling of that sign of trust. The boy had always come to breakfast completely dressed and sat as far away from him as possible but the boy trusted him enough to come out in a vulnerable state. Harry still waited for him to take food first but that wasn't such an awful thing. Harry ate slowly instead of scarfing it down as if he was afraid Snape would take it.

Once they finished Snape stood up and grabbed the clothing catalog. He handed it to Harry.

"Do you know how these work?"

"Yes sir."

"Good then write down what you want and I'll order it for you this evening. I have a friend coming over to help me teach you about heir rings and other things you need to know. I need you to trust me that he means you no harm."

"Who is it?" Harry asked instantly suspicious.

"Lucius Malfoy." Snape said. "Now before you protest think about it. The Malfoy head knows everything there is to know about the rules and customs of being the head of a noble and ancient house. He can answer any questions you may have. Despite what rumors you've heard Lucius Malfoy was never loyal to the Dark Lord. He was forced into his servitude by his father Abraxas Malfoy."

Harry looked at him and nodded.

"When can we expect him?"

"Around 11 so in an hour."

"I'll be here then. I am going to look through this catalog in my room."

"Alright Harry."

Snape watched Harry go back to his room. He let a rare smile grace his face. The exhaustion was worth it if it meant this kind of progress. He would have never thought that this would be possible, that he would see Harry in anything but a defensive position. Snape sat down on the couch to read. In an hour Harry came out in his school robes, arguably the nicest things he owns.

"Is he coming soon sir?"

"He should be coming through in a few minutes. Just sit down and feel free to ask any questions you have." Snape said.

"Alright." Harry said.

Harry sat down so that he was facing Snape. Snape saw that he wanted to say something but was unsure how to go about doing it.

"Well. Uh thanks for last night." Harry began his cheeks reddening slightly.

"No need to thank me." Snape said.

"Yes there is!" Harry cut in seriously. "No one has ever done that for me. Ever. In fact nightmares only ever got me beaten. Don't minimize what you did for me."

"Harry any decent adult would've done that."

"But no one ever did. I had really bad nightmares after the philosopher's stone incident but no one ever came and helped me."

Snape had no time to respond to that statement as the fire place burst into green flames and out stepped an imposing figure. Lucius Malfoy was dressed in some of his best robes and his hair had obviously been well done. He walked out with confidence and looked rather regal.

"Hello, my name is Lucius Malfoy." He said extending his hand to Harry.

"Hello Mr. Malfoy. My name is Harry Potter." Harry said quietly while shaking his hand.

"Mr. Potter. Severus invited me here to explain to you what it means to be the head of a noble and ancient house."

"Yes and explain what heir rings are. Professor Snape made them sound important."

"They are. The heir and head of house rings are worn by the heir and head of house as their name suggests. The heir ring is spelled with protections designed to give the heir as much protection as possible. The head of house ring gives access to the manors of the family, the family magic and other abilities."

"Why wasn't I given my Potter heir ring?"

"They are generally given to children once they are old enough to not swallow it. At 15 months old you would've eaten the ring. Then you disappeared from the wizarding world and no one thought about you not having it." Lucius explained.

"What are the responsibilities of a head of house? I mean what would people expect me to do?"

"Excellent question. In short you are expected to marry and produce an heir. You are expected to use the family funds and properties to increase the family's wealth and influence. You are expected to be a public face."

"Can a person be the head of more than one house?"

"Yes, if they can prove they are the rightful heir to the house then once they come of age they take upon themselves the names of all houses."

"How would one prove that?" Harry asked even though he already knew.

"The easiest way is to get yourself approved at Gringotts. You merely ask for a lineage potion and they test your blood. Then they allow you access to all vaults you are entitled too."

"Can someone steal an heir ring?"

"No they are spelled to ensure only the wearer can remove them. Many of them also can become invisible if the wearer wants it."

"What do heir rings look like?"

"They are generally gold or silver with the family seal on it."

"Do you know what the Potter seal looks like Mr. Malfoy?"

"As I recall it was a burgundy background with a dragon superimposed on top."

"Cool." Harry said.

The conversation continued for some time. They went over the fact that yes Harry did own properties and yes once he was 17 he would have full and complete access to them. After a few hours Snape brought in lunch and the conversation continued. Snape was amazed at how much knowledge Harry could truly absorb. Some of the questions were strange and off the wall but Lucius was able to answer them.

"Is there importance in the order of names?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well if a person is the head of more than one house then they would have more than one last name. Is there an order or is just whatever they decide?"

"Generally it is the order of the most prestigious house going first and the least prestigious house going last. Mr. Potter are you asking these questions because you think you are heir of more than one house?"

Snape smirked inwardly when he saw Harry blush. He also contained his amazement that Harry would even think that.

"I'm sure of it sir. I know I'm going to have a rather long name when I'm an adult."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Magic?" Harry said with a shrug.

"Lucius that's his answer when he's decided to keep his source of knowledge a secret." Snape supplied.

"Well Mr. Potter. I have one more question for you before I leave." Lucius said.

"Ask away sir."

"Why were you so against my son this year?"

"Firstly he made fun of my first friend that I had ever had, which is just bad form. Then he threatened to take my food away when I told him I wasn't interested in being friends. Then we were sorted into different houses and the house rivalry already existing added fuel to the fire."

"Your first friend?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. My very first friend. Draco called him an oaf."

"Please explain."

"My cousin threatened every single kid our age that if they tried to befriend me he would beat them up. It worked. I was alone completely and utterly alone until the morning of my 11th birthday. Right as the clock struck 12 and my birthday started Hagrid the giant man he was burst into the room in which I was sleeping on the floor. He gave me my first birthday present and told me I was a wizard. I didn't even know magic existed. The man fed me and told me that my parents were wonderful people instead of the worthless drunks I was told they were. He introduced me to magic and made me feel special." Harry said passionately. "The next day he took me to Diagon Alley and showed me what magic was capable of. That day your son was also shopping we met while getting our school robes. He called the man who had treated me better than any other person in my life a 'useless oaf'. It's rather hard to like someone after that."

"I understand." Lucius said. "Would you be willing to try again?"

"Why? You wouldn't ask unless it was important. What does Draco and by extension you gain if I befriend him?"

"How very astute." Lucius said. "I was forced to be a death eater when I turned 17 by my father. When the Dark Lord returns I will have to be prepared. If my son is friends with you he will be safely ensconced in the light side and protected from the Dark Lord."

Snape saw the look in Harry's eyes and knew without knowing how that Draco Malfoy was about to gain a very loyal friend.

"In that case I would be happy to put aside our past differences and try again. I won't make it easy for Draco though. I only became good friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley after fighting a troll together." Harry said with a light dancing in his eyes. "However once he earns my trust I will be loyal to him forever."

"That's good. I think it would be best if you met in a neutral area. My son is having a celebration for his birthday in a few days. It is normally a small thing with only close family there. Severus is of course attending but I think it would be alright if you came as well." Lucius said.

"That would be fine Lucius." Snape said cutting in before Harry could object.

Snape led Lucius out after that and came back to Harry laying down on the couch. Snape sat down and waited for the boy to speak again.

"Why would you agree to that?"

"You agreed to give Draco another chance."

"Yes but not go to his home and act like a fool. I know nothing about parties whether large or small. I've never even been to one and I'll be awkward the entire time which Draco will surely notice and tease me for."

"You forget his parents will be there, Draco will be on his best behavior. That and Draco has wanted to be your friend for quite some time now."

"Huh?" Harry said sitting up. "Why would he want to do that? And how would you even know?"

"I am Draco's Godfather. I was a large part of his childhood. When he was sorted into my house he came to me that very evening looking for advice and complaining about the fact that you had denied him friendship."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to try and apologize. He of course followed his own advice instead of mine."

"What did he try other than being rude?"

"He tried to show himself off as skilled so you would see how good of a friend he would make."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"No it doesn't." Snape agreed. "However I can guarantee that Draco will be doing his best on the 24th to please you."

"That gives me just 5 days to get everything done I want done."

"What do you want done?" Snape asked in interest.

"I want to get my rings. I'm very upset that I never had those. I mean if my dad had put that ring on me before he died than I wouldn't have been hurt as much right? I mean I know it probably wouldn't protect much against physical violence but at least this last year would've been safer."

"We can travel there tomorrow if you wish. I have some ingredients I wish to purchase so I can do that while you are with the goblins."

"That would be amazing sir. Thank you!" Harry said. "Now I'm going to finish up with that catalog I'm almost done."

"Just bring it out here when you're finished."

Harry left and Snape was once again surprised at how well the boy could force himself to fit into a certain situation. The boy had been composed and serious when speaking with Lucius while sucking up every single bit of information that Lucius had to offer. The boy was by no means ready to be the head of a house but he now knew enough to begin preparing. He had asked intelligent questions and been respectful. Then the moment Lucius had left he had become a tired 11 year old boy. Harry returned in an hour and handed the catalog with a parchment to Severus.

"Thanks again sir." Harry said.

"Not at all Harry. What are your plans for today?"

"I want to go flying and then I'm going to do research in the library. There's a very interesting spell I'd like to master."

"Spell?"

"Yes sir, if the texts are right it would be a cure for Lycanthropy. I'm one of the few people who could cast it though."

"What?" Snape asked flabbergasted.

"Sir I've decided to tell you one of my secrets as thanks for helping me last night. So listen closely." Harry said decidedly.

"Sit down." Snape said quickly.

"I discovered this ability earlier in the summer or at least I discovered what it was. I decided not tell anyone since it has a rather negative connation here in Britain." Harry began.

"What ability?"

"I'm a Parselmouth." Harry said. "I can speak to snakes and they can speak to me."

Snape made no move to hide his shocked face. He saw Harry smirk at him and then opened his mouth to continue his explanation.

"I found a book in one of the rooms of the castle that is full of scribbles. If I focus my magic though it turns into easy to read English. It was written in Parselscript the written language of the snakes. It discusses particular uses of Parselmagic from ward making to healing. One of the healing spells is a werewolf cure. It has a name but I have no idea how to translate into English for you. I wanted to do more research and learn all I could about werewolves and parselmagic itself before even attempting it though."

"Potter can I see the book?" Snape asked excitedly.

"I suppose but it will be just scribbles to you." Harry said standing.

Harry returned in a few moments carrying a thick old book. He carried it like it was something precious to him. Snape could tell it was very important to him. He held out his hands and took the book gently. Harry had been correct there was not a single word in English in the entire book. It was just pages and pages of neat scribbles. Snape sighed he had hoped he would be able to read even a part of the ancient book. He handed it back to Harry.

"Can you translate the page on the werewolf cure?"

"I can try. It's hard to not start hissing when you're reading it out loud." Harry said honestly. "If I switch into Parseltongue cough or something and I'll refocus."

Snape watched as Harry opened the book and leafed through till he found the page he wanted. Then he saw him close his eyes and take in a deep breath. He opened it and stared hard at the page before him.

"The evil wolf eater spell uses magic to destroy the magic wolf that haunts two legged man." Harry began. "I promise it sounds more elegant in Parseltongue. If I had more time I could make it sound more correct this is just a rough translation."

"Continue."

"With the words, hisssss hiss hiss, and the desire to eat the evil wolf. The battle for dominance will begin. Only powerful beings can hope to become king of the evil wolf." Harry said.

"What does that mean Potter?"

"Well that's just the first paragraph. Basically I have to say the incantation and really really want to defeat the curse. Then my magic and the magic of the curse will fight, whoever is stronger will win. The only danger for me if I try is magical exhaustion since it uses up a lot of magic if I lose. According to the rest of the page though if I win I actually become more powerful."

"What's the incantation? You just hissed before."

"It's impossible to translate Parselmagic spells but I can walk around it a little. The spell means in essence 'curse leave' but with a lot more exactness. Parselmagic spells have to be completely exact in what they want or it won't work right."

"Why are you so interested?"

"I want to help people. All of my life I was without any help. I hit the bottom and wished for death quite a few times during my childhood." Harry said. "I don't want anyone to be in that same situation if I can help. Since I have this ability to cast spells strong enough to cure such an awful curse then I am going to."

Harry didn't wait for Snape to say anything and instead stood and took the book back to his room. Severus was both impressed and horrified. Harry had been through so much but he was still so caring. He had also been through enough hell to be suicidal. It made him shiver at the fact that he might have died at a young age and would not have returned to the wizarding world. He watched as Harry walked out with broom in hand. He watched him open the door and leave.

Snape grabbed the parchment and saw that the boy had picked out all the clothes Severus had asked him to pick out. The clothes were not high quality but they were not low quality either. The shirts were mostly plain colors and the pants were basic blue jeans. For the casual robes he picked neutral colors that would look rather nice on anyone. The dress robe was a Slytherin green with silver linings. That confused Snape what was Harry playing at.

First off he claims the Parseltongue ability, a decidedly Slytherin skill, then he says he knows that he will be the head of more than one house and then he picks dress robes that scream Slytherin. What was the boy claiming? It was very obvious that the Potter line had never had any claim to the Slytherin line. Sure there had been rumors that they had Gryffindor blood but never Slytherin blood. Did he think the ability must have come from Lily then? But she was muggle born unless one of her parents came from a squib line.

Snape came to a decision then to find out what Harry's full name was. He wouldn't go to the bank with him since Harry would appreciate the privacy but he would figure it out. Maybe Harry would tell him.


	11. McGonagall Apologies

**Chapter 11! This one is a bit shorter then the last but it's still pretty good. We have another character now! It's time for some Minerva action. Please remember to review.**

Harry had woken up that morning both mortifyingly embarrassed and insanely happy. His mind replayed the last night's events. Snape had come to him when he had had a nightmare. Had comforted him until he woke up from the nightmare. Then he had listened to the dream that had haunted him for years. Then he had not told him he was weak for having them and hating them. Instead he had complimented him told him was brave for speaking about it. Then he had gotten him potions to help him. Then best of all he had stayed.

Harry had never had anyone for him after a nightmare. Memories of trying to keep from crying out in his dark small cupboard surfaced in his mind. Instead Snape had stayed and even let him lay his head on his chest. He comforted him until he fell asleep again. Then he had stayed the entire night. Harry had woken up when Snape had left in the morning. He had blushed madly once the man had left. Then a warmth burst into his heart. Harry felt _cared_ for and he found that it was addicting.

When he walked out to get food he realized he was in his pajamas. _Why didn't I get changed? I guess being vulnerable around him doesn't bother me anymore._ Harry even sat down next to Snape. His mind whirled around trying to figure out how to tell Snape how wonderful he felt. How grateful he was. Harry knew that if Snape asked him anything he would tell him. Harry was feeling very trusting all of a sudden. It scared him but he couldn't help it. Snape cared.

Snape had told him about the impending visit from the Malfoy Senior. That visit had been interesting. The catalog had been difficult. Harry had never before been given a choice on what to wear and what not to wear. The only clothes he had ever bought for himself were his school uniform which wasn't full of choices. It was an interesting hour trying to decide between the blue shirt and the red one. Harry had decided to just wear school robes since they were the nicest thing he currently owned.

The information he received was rather useful. He could certainly do to learn more but the fact was that he needed to get to Gringotts soon. He went back to his room and finished the catalog work. It was then that Harry realized how he could truly thank Snape for helping him. He could tell Snape a secret something that would show he trusted him a little now. So before he left to go flying he told Snape about his Parselmouth ability. He even let him hold the book Salazar had given him. Not that Snape could read it anyway. Then he had left to go flying.

That was of course when his day had changed. Harry knew Snape wouldn't leave the quarters for some time. The same temptation to go flying down the corridors overtook him again. So before Snape could see him he jumped onto his broom and began to fly down the hallway and up the stairs. It was going fine until he heard the Scottish yells.

"MR. POTTER!" McGonagall yelled. "LAND RIGHT THIS MOMENT!"

Harry's broom screeched to a stop and Harry landed as quickly as he could. He turned to face the angry face of his head of house. Except she wasn't angry, instead she was smiling.

"Mr. Potter I believe you are one of the few students who has ever had the opportunity to fly these corridors."

"Yeah well I figured it was summer and there wouldn't be anyone around."

"What is it like?" She asked with a conspiratorial wink.

Harry smirked at her and handed her the broom.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

"I think I might just do that Mr. Potter."

With that Minerva McGonagall jumped onto Harry's broom and with an undignified whoop of joy began to zip through the castle. Harry smiled as he watched her go. He and his head of house both loved the feeling of flight. She had been the one to introduce him to the magic of quidditch, for which he would be forever grateful. She came back in a few minutes with her hair now messed up and falling out of her normally tight bun.

"Mr. Potter let us agree to never speak of this again." She said.

"Agreed." Harry said taking his broom back.

"Would you like to have some tea with me and we can catch up with each other?" She invited.

"Only if there are biscuits too."

"Of course Harry I would never dream of having it any other way."

So they made their way back to Minerva's office making unimportant small talk on the way. Once the tea and cookies were summoned the true conversation began.

"So Harry. I want to apologize for not realizing what your home life was like."

"Don't, please don't apologize. I hid it well and had no intention of telling anyone ever." Harry interjected.

"Please tell me why." Minerva asked quietly.

"I tried to tell a teacher once. When I was younger. I was 8 years old. I liked that teacher he was kind and understanding. I thought maybe he could help me." Harry said. "I told him that my uncle would hit me a lot and that I didn't want to live there, that I was scared of him. He promised to get me help. He went directly to the principal, the headmaster of the school. I didn't know this but the principal was good friends with my uncle. My uncle had told him that I liked to make up stories about him beating me. Needless to say my teacher's objections weren't listened to and my uncle was called."

"I'm so sorry Harry."

"He nearly murdered me that night. It was so bad that I couldn't move for three days. I was stuck in a small cupboard under the stairs just bleeding on the floor and wishing for it to be over." Harry continued. "My uncle promised that if I ever tried to tell anyone again he would kill me. I believed him and I made sure no one ever suspected him again."

"I understand Harry. Have you been alright these past few weeks? I've been trying to find time to talk to you but you're never in Severus' quarters when I come by."

"My physical wounds are healed but I'm still pretty jumpy sometimes. I can forget that I'm not there still and then a loud noise will startle me pretty badly."

"Harry I'm so sorry."

"Please don't be. You weren't the one hitting and threatening me."

"Yes well." She said. "How are things with Professor Snape?"

"It's been really good. He's been really patient with me. I know he wants me to talk about what happened at my relative's house but I don't want to. He doesn't push me which is something I am going to forever be grateful for. I think if he had pushed me I would've never started to feel safe anywhere."

"So you think he was doing the right thing then?"

"I know he was. His patience with me has helped me feel much more comfortable with him if he had pushed me every chance he got. I know the most important thing for me right now is feeling safe and comfortable. I won't be able to talk about it until I do."

"I'm glad to hear it." Minerva said with a weak smile.

They talked for a while after that until it was nearly time for Harry to go back for dinner. Harry jumped up when he realized he was probably going to be late.

"Professor! I've got to go if I want to be on time for dinner. I'm probably going to be late as it is."

"No need Mr. Potter. We can go down together I have some things I wish to discuss with Professor Snape. He'll understand that I was what kept you."

"Professor?" Harry said as they both stood to leave. "Would you like a ride down there? I promise that as the youngest seeker in a century it will be an interesting ride."

"Mr. Potter. I have a better suggestion." She said while using her wand to summon her own broom. "How about a race?"

"First one down to his quarters wins?"

"Of course."

So they stood outside her office in the tall hallways. They both mounted at the same time and shot off. Harry pretended not to hear his proper professor curse at his skill or speed. She wasn't so bad at flying herself. She came neck to neck with him as they flew down the stairs. Once they straightened out however he continued ahead of her.

Harry jumped off of the broom and slammed into the closed door of Snape's quarters a moments before Minerva did. She landed lightly however with a scowl on her face. She held her broom in her hand.

"Mr. Potter next time you will not be so lucky. I am very skilled on the pitch you know."

"Ah yes but where you have experience I have the budding energy of an 11 year old."

"Are you trying to challenge me Mr. Potter? I can assure you I could outfly you any day."

"Name the time and place." Harry said with a smirk.

"As interesting as this is I hardly think it appropriate to be challenging a student to a flying contest." Snape said having opened the door to find out what the ruckus was.

"Stop being so sour Severus." Minerva said. "You're just grumpy because you can't fly without breaking your own face."

Harry had to struggle not to laugh.

"I do not need to fly, I am much more skilled in areas far more important than an asinine game."

"Of course Severus." Minerva said in a tone that made it clear she did not believe him. "Anyway Mr. Potter and I lost track of time catching up and I wanted it to be clear he had no intention of being late for dinner. Harry please go put your broom away."

Harry rolled his eyes at the dismissal. He did as he was told and for the first time in a long time felt no need to spy. Whatever the two professors had to say to each other hardly involved him. He put his broom away and then sat down for dinner. Snape came back into the room with a bemused look on his face.

"Good news?" Harry asked.

"What did you tell her?" Snape asked.

"What did she tell you?" Harry asked in response.

"She told me she was wrong and thanked me for helping you." Snape said in an amazed tone.

"I told her how I felt living with you."

"Which was?"

"A positive review." Harry replied with a smirk. "Why would she feel the need to apologize to you?"

"Minerva and Albus are both of the opinion that I should be pushing you to talk more about your life more than I am." Snape explained. "They both feel I am not making enough progress with you."

"Of course the oh wise Dumbledore knows what I need." Harry said bitterly.

"Have you spoken to him since he was here for dinner last?" Snape asked after a moment of silence.

"No. He hasn't tried to seek me out and I haven't either." Harry answered confused at the change of conversation.

"He visits me every day asking about you." Snape says. "He worries about your mental health and your future."

"Why would he worry about me? He never has before." Harry said in honest confusion.

"Potter when I told him the story of how I found you in your relative's house he was so furious he lost control of his magic. The headmaster cares very much for you."

"Then why didn't he listen to me?" Harry asked voice cracking. "I asked him to let me stay anywhere but there. He told me I was safest there."

"Potter, the headmaster, he often thinks he knows best. It is one of his largest problems. He tries to take everything upon himself and thinks himself wiser than most. He did not listen because he was too proud and did not think deeply enough about it. He regrets his oversight immensely." Snape said in a quiet voice.

"Are you trying to say that I should forgive him?" Harry demanded.

"I think you should at least try." Snape said. "You forgave me for an entire year of cruel words and actions."

"I suppose."

In truth Harry had barely even thought about Dumbledore since he had last seen him. He had been too focused on other things. Snape, the chamber, his parselmagic. There was just no time to stay angry at the man. It was true the man had done him wrong but he hadn't truly attempted to harm Harry in fact. All of his actions had been done to try and protect him as best as possible.

Sure the man was idealistic and it had hurt him terribly. Harry sat silently thinking it over was it really worth being mad at the man? Dumbledore wanted to be there for him and help him. Hell the man had given an eleven year old an invisibility cloak with the advice 'use it well'. The man didn't have the best judgement when it came to certain things. Could Harry truly continue to be angry at the man?

Harry had plenty of moments in his life where the use of logic left him and he used only emotions to make decisions. That had happened when he had flown without supervision against Draco Malfoy. That had happened again with the troll and then again that night with Quirrel. They seemed to happen very often at Hogwarts something about the place made him outrageous and stupid. Or maybe that was because he was happy there?

This was one of those moments so at 6:15 pm Harry using none of the logic he possessed made a decision. He would forgive Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, it would take time to trust him again but he would forgive him. He would let go of his anger towards the man and let the man get close to him. It would be a lot of work on Dumbledore's part to get Harry to trust him but he would forgive at least.


	12. Muggle Candy is Better

**Chapter 12! Sweet Bro! This one comes back to Dumbledore. The past few chapters have focused solely on Harry and Snape so I thought i would bring in everyone else too! Review and tell me what you think!**

Snape had watched Harry intensely as the boy thought about Albus Dumbledore. He remembered the absolute fury in his eyes when Dumbledore had tried speaking to him the first time. He remembered the boy's cold dismissal and unwillingness to even look at the man. He trusted Dumbledore with his life and he saw how Harry's anger was tearing him up inside.

He had never seen his mentor and father figure so sad. The man no longer offered him a lemon drop when he visited and Fawkes could not rouse him. Albus had acted like this only a few other times. The first was a few days after Snape's visit to him. Snape had told the man his whole life story. Dumbledore had been so distraught at his admission of abuse. It warmed Snape to know that Dumbledore cared so much for him.

He had tried a few things to cheer the man up over the past few weeks but he had been more focused on Harry. He saw that Harry hadn't really been that angry when he had mentioned the headmaster so decided to push the matter. Now he was letting Harry think it over. He saw the torn expression in his eyes and then the decision.

"Where is the headmaster now?"

"He is most likely in his office." Snape said.

"I would like to go see him, I know where the office is but not the password."

"Ice Mice." Snape said cringing at the sweet name.

"Alright I'll be back."

Snape watched Harry leave and hoped that he was about to do something very Gryffindor instead of something very Slytherin. He thought back to the look on Minerva's face when she spoke to him. He replayed the delicious moment in his mind very the one and only Minerva McGonagall gave him an apology.

She had sent Harry away and Snape had not believed the boy would actually leave so he set up a silencing charm to keep him from spying. He had done this every time one of his colleagues had visited so Harry would not hear them discussing him and become hurt. Minerva was giving a strange look as if she had never really seen him before.

"I spoke with Harry today." She began.

"Oh and not just about quidditch?" Snape asked with a smirk.

"We talked about you." Minerva continued. "I just want to apologize Severus. You are doing a wonderful job with Harry. I must be going now."

With that sentence the woman beat a hasty retreat. Minerva wasn't the kind of woman to admit wrong doing. She was stubborn and would argue her point until the end of time. Snape had never received an admission of being wrong from her before in his life. Snape felt good, he felt wonderful in fact. He also felt hopeful that Harry would allow Albus back into his life.

Harry didn't return to their rooms until 7:32. He looked exhausted but still sat down for their evening talks. Snape watched as Harry settled himself into the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. Snape decided to see if Harry would speak at all. After five minutes it appeared he wasn't very interested in talking.

"Harry." Snape began. "Would you like to discuss anything?"

"Would you like to discuss anything?" Harry asked instead.

"How often do you have nightmares?"

"Not as often as I did after I started practicing occulmency." Harry said thoughtfully. "That's why I started meditating like that anyway."

"Yes but how often?"

"Maybe once a week. It depends if I'm really stressed or not."

"Why have you not come for help before?"

"I've never thought someone would ever help." Harry said.

"Are they normally as violent as the one I witnessed?"

"Usually. I learned when I was pretty young to set up wandless silencing charms so my uncle wouldn't hear."

"And you continued to do so here?"

"Of course. It's habit unless I'm exhausted or distracted I place a silencing charm on myself."

"I see." Snape said surprised at how honest Harry was being.

It made him want to stay in the same room as Harry to wake him from a nightmare. It scared Snape a little how much he cared for Harry. For most of his life Snape had held his heart close. Dumbledore had often said that he had dammed up his heart and where he allowed his love to flow it flooded. That sentence was proving true here, now that he decided he cared for Harry it was now almost suffocating. Snape resolved to set an alarm to awaken him if Harry began to have a nightmare.

"Are your dreams on the same topic?"

"No. I dream about all kinds of stuff." Harry answered vaguely.

"Like?"

"Voldemort, Quirrel, my relatives. Lots of things."

"Alright Harry. Prepare for bed you may sleep when you wish too but no night time wanderings. We need to be ready to leave for Gringotts bright and early."

"Good night sir."

"Good night."

He watched as Potter left to his room and then walked up to the door. He cast a spell to alert him to high levels of terror. Then he made his way over to the headmaster's office. He nearly ran he needed to know how it had gone. He hissed the ridiculous password and ran up the stairs and then opened the door to see Albus Dumbledore humming happily in his chair eating a large bag of candy.

"Severus!" Dumbledore said happily. "Lemon drop?"

Severus Snape resident angry bat of Hogwarts collapsed into a chair in complete relief. Albus was himself again. In fact Snape was so happy he even took the candy from the old man and popped it in his mouth. To say that Albus Dumbledore's eyes twinkled like a miniature explosion would've been an understatement.

"I take it your visit from Harry went well?"

"Why yes my boy we talked about candy! One of my favorite subjects you know." Dumbledore said humming.

"You spoke about sweets?"

"Why yes! Harry and I were able to work through quite a few of our differences over sweets. He was insistent that muggle sweets were superior to the wizarding kind but I disagreed. We discussed it at length for over an hour."

"You came to an agreement?"

"An agreement to disagree with each other."

Snape rolled his eyes. He knew he was missing something but couldn't think of what. How would an hour long argument about candy resolve the issues between them? It honestly made no sense. It seemed to have worked however. Snape merely nodded after a moment.

"I'm glad you worked that out then. I am taking Potter to Gringotts tomorrow. We will be getting his Potter heir ring, since he had yet to receive it from his father before his death."

"Splendid my boy. I have to admit it troubles me that no one thought about this before. I am however glad you were able to correct that mistake."

They continued to talk for another hour but Snape was unable to determine what exactly occurred between the two. Dumbledore was certainly back to his happy batty self. He left and made the leisurely stroll back to the dungeons. It was around 9 pm now and Snape felt calm until the spell he had set started blaring at him. He took off at a run. Harry had told him he only had nightmares around once a week unless he was stressed. What was causing him to have two in a row?


	13. Draco and The Dursleys

**Chapter 13! This one is really short and brings in some other characters to tide you over until we get back to Harry and Snape. Go ahead and review tell me what you want to happen!**

Draco Malfoy had a very interesting day. His birthday was very soon and he would be turning 12 years old. This was a big age for members of the Malfoy line. This was the age when veela characteristics would begin to show themselves. For generations the Malfoy family had married veelas. Their children would be part veela and at the age of twelve would begin to show off that fact.

Veelas are magical creatures known for their beauty. Male and female veelas have the power to be so beautiful so seductive that they can attract anyone. Not that it mattered much to a veela. Veelas would choose one person to mate with for eternity. When they met that person they would be loyal to them forever, and if they were rejected they would die.

It was rare for a person to reject a veela since not only were veelas extremely attractive but they were completely devoted to their chosen one. Both of Draco's parents were part veela, making Draco himself around half veela. His parents had chosen each other as their mates and were irrevocably in love. The only thing they loved more than each other was him. Yet another veela trait is the ultimate love of their children.

So in just a few days Draco would begin showing off his heritage. He was excited. The first change would his physical appearance. For the next three years he would grow more and more attractive until he looked nearly perfect. He would also begin his quest for finding his true mate. He wouldn't know who it was, if he even met them, until he was 15 but his magical aura would begin the search for someone completely compatible with him.

That wasn't the interesting part. When Draco went down to lunch he found out his father had left to go to Hogwarts. His mother only said that he had a meeting but not with who. His father returned within a few hours with a pleased look on his face. His father called him over to talk.

"Dragon I have news."

"Yes father?"

"I have spent the last few hours having a very enlightening conversation with one Harry Potter."

"I thought you went to Hogwarts father."

"I did. It turns out that Mr. Potter never received his heir ring. His father died before he was old enough to wear it and no one thought to give it to him later. When it was discovered that Mr. Potter was completely ignorant when it came to such things your godfather asked me to come over and answer any questions the boy had."

Draco's mind was racing with that new information. He always considered Potter extremely rude ignoring him and all pureblood politics. However if Potter didn't even know they existed then did that mean Potter was going to change?

"What does this mean father?"

"I explained to him why I wish for you to be friends and he agreed to try again." Lucius said with a genuine smile. "I need to explain some things to you first."

"Okay." Draco said.

"When you first met Potter it was in Diagon Alley the day we got your school supplies. Growing up Potter did not know he was a wizard or anything about his ancestry. The first magical being he met was very kind to him and earned his undying loyalty. You called that man an oaf in your very first encounter."

"Hagrid introduced Potter to the magical world?"

"Yes. Do you realize now why Potter was not agreeable to being associated with you?"

"I made fun of his first magical friend making me look like a total prat?"

"Yes. Mr. Potter has agreed to come to your birthday dinner. He has agreed to end hostilities with you but told me that if you wished to be friend he would not be easy to win over."

"Huh?"

"How did Potter become friends with Ms. Granger?"

"He saved her from a troll." Draco said before his eyes widened. "He can't expect me to do something as Gryffindor as that."

"From what I gathered he expects you to show a strong sense of loyalty and then he will offer you the same. I expect you to be on your best behavior for your birthday. If you work hard at it you will have a loyal friend who will protect you from the Dark Lord when he returns."

"Alright father I'll try my best."

Draco spent the rest of the day planning out how he could show Harry Potter he would make good friend material. It was a new experience Draco was always used to people trying to get into his good graces he wasn't very practiced when it came to getting into the good graces of others.

The Dursley family was very confused. They knew very well that Harry Potter was in their house somewhere. He was supposed to be in their home during the summer. The Dumbledore freak had said so. Demanded that they take him in. However whenever anyone of them went up to the freaks room to get him to do work or punish him. They would just forget.

It was very confusing and freakish. They knew Harry was alive because if he had died freaks would descend upon their house to investigate. There were no freaks. So where was the boy? Every time they thought too hard about Harry Potter their mind would get all confused and they would move on.

Just where is that freak?


	14. Nightmare 20

**Chapter 14! We're back to Harry again! He is one of my favorite POVs to write. Review and tell me how I did!**

Harry had walked to the headmaster's office trying to figure out how to speak to the man. He walked up to the doors and whispered the password. He allowed the magical stairs to lift him up instead of walking. He came upon the next door and knocked.

"Come in." A weary voice called.

"Headmaster?" Harry asked after he had opened the door.  
Dumbledore did not look up. It was one of those rare moments where the century old man actually looked his age. He looked decrepit and sad. Snape hadn't been lying the man was truly sorry. Harry sat down in a chair and looked down on his desk. He saw the bowl of yellow lemon drops. Dumbledore was infamous for offering the sweets every chance he got. Harry had never liked them. In fact he didn't much care for wizarding candy. Chocolate frogs were creepy and the Bertie Bott's every flavor of beans was just gross. Without much thought Harry spoke.

"I don't really like wizarding candy."

Dumbledore jumped. It was clear he had been expecting something else.

"I mean, compared to muggle candy wizarding candy really stinks."

"My dear boy. Wizarding candy is one of the best things about magic!" Dumbledore argued.

"I disagree muggle candy is far superior. You don't know true joy until you've eaten an entire mars bar. Or Kinder eggs! I mean honestly what can a chocolate frog compare to that?"

Thus began a forty five minute argument about the intricacies of sweets. Dumbledore despite having never had muggle candy insisted that wizarding candy was superior. Harry despite also never having muggle candy either insisted that is was superior to wizarding candy. After the argument began to wind down Harry sobered he was here for a real reason.

"Headmaster." Harry said standing up and walking over to him.

"Yes Harry?"

"It hurt a lot when you didn't listen to me when I asked to stay anywhere but the place I had grown up in. I felt like you were sentencing me to death." Harry said with a pensive look on his face. "I lost my trust in you. I was angry when we last spoke I tried to take out my anger on anyone near me. I felt like I had lost all control of my life."

"Harry. I am so sorry…"

"Headmaster. I know. Professor Snape explained it to me. I forgive you. I'm not angry anymore. I don't hate you, I don't blame you for what happened to me anymore."

At his words Dumbledore began to smile and cry at the same time. Harry hugged him to emphasize what he had said. Once the hug ended Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Thank you my boy."

"I've got to go to bed now sir. You must try some muggle sweets sir. I promise they will be much better than the wizarding kind."

"I'll keep that under advisement. Goodnight Harry."

Harry then went back and had his 'evening tea' with Snape. Although this time he did answer questions honestly. After that he went to his room sure it was early but maybe he could read up some more on Parselmagic. After an hour or so Harry passed out still holding the book having drifted off while still reading. Despite being quite relaxed before going to sleep it seemed Harry was destined for a nightmare. They happened often for no reason at all and tonight was going to be pretty bad.

The dream started out normally. Just the average day in the life of a young Harry Potter. He was polishing the china that was stored in the living room. They never used the china but Petunia had always been adamant that it sparkled so at least twice a week Harry would polish each one. So here he was dreaming of that annoying and pointless chore.

Then it changed. His uncle jumped up from behind him and pushed him. He pushed hard enough to cause the plates to crash down onto the ground. The porcelain shards scattered across the ground. Harry's heart started beating rapidly as he shrinks upon himself. His uncle smirked and pulled Harry roughly.

"Please sir. It was an accident. It won't happen again." Harry begged in a quiet broken voice.

"Of course it will happen again you little freak. Now get ready for punishment."

Suddenly they were in Harry's room, his shirt was off and his uncle was removing his belt. Harry could see out the window and saw that Snape was trying to get in. No magic spell he used to save Harry though as the beating began. With each whip his uncle spoke.

"No one will save you, you worthless freak."

"No one would want to."

"You are a burden."

"You deserve this and more."

"You will never escape me."

On and on it went. Harry tried to keep his composure but in his dream as he saw Snape shrug, a decidedly un-Snape like gesture, and walk away leaving him for dead he broke. Harry began to scream and cry beg for Snape to help him. Anyone to stop his uncle. It only made his uncle laugh and whip him harder. Harry felt himself begin to give up.


	15. Lukas Prince

**Chapter 15! Excellent Dude. This one has some things that i absolutely love. I feel strongly that Harry could have done more with his gifts and powers if given the chance and a good enough reason. I mean the kid could cast a Patronus Charm at 13! That's unheard of and i think that Harry had some great potential but lacked someone to pull it out of him. REview and tell me how you liked the chapter!**

Snape rushed into Harry's room to see the boy tossing and turning in bed. Unsure of what to do he moved forward until he heard a small broken voice come from the boy's mouth.

"Please sir. It was an accident. It won't happen again."

The voice was begging. It sounded as if Harry was begging for his life and in many ways perhaps he was. It froze Snape and he saw that Harry had stiffened and began to flinch violently every few seconds. He could almost see the belt raining down on him. Harry didn't make a sound for a while until a sob broke out and he began yelling.

"SNAPE PLEASE DON'T I NEED PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP! PROFESSOR I NEED YOU. DON'T GO!" Harry was shouting at first but then it calmed. "Please I can't do this again please."

Snape moved forward and grabbed Harry gently. He began rubbing his back and whispering calming words that meant nothing. The boy continued to struggle for quite a few minutes fighting against a nonexistent uncle. Snape held on though. Eventually after what seemed like an eternity the boy woke up. Snape could tell because he stiffened for a moment as his head jerked side to side. Then the boy relaxed in his arms.

"What happened in this one?"

"I don't- I can't…"

"Harry." Snape said quietly. "You will sleep better if you talk it through."

"I was back at my relatives house…" Harry began quietly. "I was uh polishing the good plates. My uncle came out of nowhere and he pushed me so that the plates went everywhere."

Harry took in a deep breath at that point and began to rock back and forth.

"That's a punishable offense. So he grabbed me, suddenly I was in my room and he was getting his belt ready. I saw you outside the house trying to get in. Then it started and it hurt but I didn't move cause that would make it worse. My uncle was saying some nasty things." Harry continued. "He told me I'd never escape and that no one would ever want to help me. Eventually you decided I wasn't worth the effort and you left. You left me."

After that Harry curled into himself and began sobbing. Snape honestly had no idea what to say for a moment. How does a person justify the actions of their dreams self? Does one even try? Snape decided to not even try to bother with his dream self and move on to issues he could easily solve.

"Harry. You are never going to return to that hell whole again. I will not allow it. The headmaster will not allow it, nor will Minerva. You have already escaped your Uncle."

Snape said these words passionately and with more emotion that his voice was normally capable of. It seemed however Harry was unable to hear him as he just rocked back and forth in a little ball. Snape summoned a calming draught and grabbed the vial as it came in.

"Harry I have a calming draught for you. I need you to sit up and drink it."

Harry got up and grabbed the vial after a little more prodding. He drained it and within in a moment began to relax slowly.

"It's just never going to go away. He's always going to be in the back of my mind." Harry said desolately. "I'm always going to wonder when the next encounter is going to be."

"You aren't going to see that man ever again." Snape said.

"Maybe not. But there's always death eaters and Voldemort to consider."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked even though his chest had gone cold.

"That crazy homicidal maniac who orphaned me will never ever leave me alone. I won't be able to avoid him forever. Every year he is going to try something new until he gets back into power and then he will try and kill me. He probably will, I'm not as strong as him."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Think about it. When I defeated him almost 11 years ago he was powerful and strong. At the top of his game. No one but Dumbledore could even hope to match him for power. Then one Halloween on perhaps a standard fear or revenge mission he breaks into my home. He kills my dad and then my mom. Then tries to murder me a powerless fifteen month old. Then I, the freak of nature I am, rebound the curse back on him defeating him. Except not completely." Harry said his voice like steel. "He is a powerless wraith floating around Europe cursing me and planning ways to come back into power. When he does he will come after me to prove that his defeat was just a fluke and that he should be respected. He will, and he won't stop until he does. What I said to him last month doesn't help much either."

"What did happen down there?"

"What do you think happened?" Harry asked cocking his head to the side while sitting up.

"The headmaster wasn't very clear on the details. All I know was that three idiot 11 year olds decided to face off against an evil teacher. They went down and completed the gauntlet easily. Weasley was injured while playing chess. You went forward alone and faced up against the possessed Quirrel. You defeated him using your mother's love and collapsed. Dumbledore then took you to the infirmary."  
"Well that's mostly right. I didn't tell anyone what happened in that room between Quirrel, Voldemort and myself." Harry said. "I was ashamed and disgusted with myself and didn't want to talk about it with anyone."

"Why?"

"I murdered someone. I mean yeah he was possessed but he was still a person and I murdered him with my bare hands."

"Harry you were defending yourself."

"I know but it still feels wrong. To do that to someone."

"Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Not right now. I just want to sleep."

"Alright Harry. Do you need anything?"

"I just feel so scared." Harry admitted in a quiet voice.

Snape found himself once again sleeping in that bed being used as a pillow. He transfigured his clothing into comfortable pajamas and prepared to sleep. Harry did not stir at all for the rest of the night.

Severus awoke to the sound of hissing. In fact he opened one of his eyes to see Harry hissing at his arm and his arm hissing back. Snape's eyes snapped shut and his heart stopped beating at the fact that his dark mark had been discovered. Did Harry know what the mark meant? Why was he conversing with it? How was he conversing with it? What was going on?

Snape struggled to not move as he listened to the hissing conversation he could not comprehend. Suddenly Harry shot up and started angrily hissing, rage sparking from his frame. Then Snape felt something strange in his arm. It was an almost painful tingling centered on his mark. It was reminiscent of when he received it except a whole lot less painful.

The tingling stopped and then another hiss issued from his arm. Harry relaxed then and hissed back. Snape felt Harry get off the bed at that point and wandered into the bathroom. When the door clicked shut Snape shot up and examined his arm. The mark was _different._ It looked the same but it felt different.

The dark mark always had a malignant feel to it. The after effects of the dark magic. It felt like a branding for a slave. Looking at it for too long would make someone feel dark. The mark didn't have that any more. Instead it felt peaceful. It was just a magical tattoo now. What had Harry done?

Harry returned after a moment and gave him a crooked smile. His hair was wet and for once lying flat on itself under the weight. Apparently Snape had been distracted enough for Harry to take a shower.

"Nice snake you've got there. Feel like explaining yourself?" Harry said in a way that made it clear he knew what it was.

"Only if you tell me what you did to it."

"I changed its loyalty."

"What?"

"Snakes, real or otherwise, are loyal to the most powerful parselmouth they meet." Harry explained after sitting. "The creator of that snake is currently very weak and wraith like. I've defeated Moldyshorts twice so it was rather easy to convince that little snake to change his loyalties."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, if my assumptions are correct, that Dark Mark is no longer connected to Voldemort, that Dark Mark can no longer lead you to Voldemort, that Dark Mark can no longer give you pain unless I wish it. In a way you changed masters."

"Please explain from the beginning." Snape said exasperated.

"Only if you explain why you, my current caretaker bears the mark of someone who wants to kill me."

So at 7:16 in the morning on June 21st Severus Snape explained his past to Harry Potter. The abusive father who was the last member of the Prince family, who had raped a muggleborn witch. Who had then forced said woman to marry him when she gave birth to a male heir and then murdered her when he was just eight years old. The father who agreed with Voldemort, who forced his son into his servitude. How after his father's death had taken his chance and run to Dumbledore. Snape's transformation from death eater to spy.

"So you're still a spy?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Yes. Well yes unless the mark no longer works that way."

"It doesn't. When I saw the mark this morning I got so scared that I nearly blew myself up with a burst of magic. Your tattoo is a sentient snake so I could talk to it pretty easily. We spoke for a while, he explained his creation and abilities and purpose. I realized that I could remove at least one servant from my enemies clutches by fighting for the snake's loyalty. I won so he changed himself to fit my wishes."

"So I'm free?"

"Yep, the snake on your arm is now just a sentient snake he no longer brands and ties you to Voldemort."

"Can you change the way the snake looks?" Snape asked after a moment.

"Sure hold out your arm." Harry commanded sliding next to Snape on the bed.

Snape watched in fascination as Harry hissed out his instructions to the snake. The snake uncurled and the skull disappeared. The snake instead curled around Snape's arm like a bracelet and turned an emerald color with silver markings. It was an elegant look and more importantly one that did not mark Snape as the slave of an evil man.

"I must tell the headmaster." Snape said excitedly.

Snape stood up and started running around his quarters in an excited flurry. For the first time in a long time he was utterly free. Snape was about to run through the castle in his pajamas when he saw Harry sitting at the breakfast table with a smirk. Snape was so full of emotions that the normally dour and serious man had a giddy smile on his face. He ran at Harry and picked him in a hug spinning the boy around.

"I'm free! No masters no fathers nothing. Thank you Harry."

"Sir please put me down." Harry gasped out.

"Harry. Call me Severus. I can think of no other person on this earth who deserves to use my first name more than you do." Snape said after putting Harry down.

"Alright Severus." Harry said after a moments hesitation. "Now how about we have breakfast and get ready to go to Diagon Alley now. I'd rather you not tell the Headmaster just yet."

"Why?"

"Because then you'd have to tell him how I did that and then he would know about my Parseltongue." Harry said. "I don't know how he would react to that."

"I understand but he needs to know that it happened. Please let me tell him soon."

"Alright I guess." Harry said. "Now can we eat now? I'm starving."

Snape smirked and sat down next to Harry to eat. Every few seconds he would glance at his left arm and smile widely. He would've never chosen that kind of design for a tattoo but it was a delicate interesting look. Something that was decidedly Slytherin. After Snape went to his room and for the first time in his entire adult life wore robes that were loose around the wrists. They were a dark green, so dark they were almost black. He walked out into the living room to await Harry.

At 9:04 Harry walked into the room except it wasn't Harry. It was a boy with long shoulder length black hair that looked silky and dark brown eyes. The boy was also shorter and lacked the characteristic scar. In fact the boy looked exactly like a young Severus Snape without the severely hooked nose.

"Harry?" Severus stuttered out.

"Severus. Do you like my new look?"

"What did you do?"

"Well I was thinking. I have never needed a haircut. Not once, which was pretty lucky since my relatives would've never given me one. I would've come to Hogwarts with hair as long as my own body. So a week or so ago I looked up in the library if wizards needed haircuts or not." Harry explained. "Apparently they do but I don't. So[AR1] I looked into human transfigurations and found out about something called a metamorphagus."

"Please don't tell me." Severus begged.

"You guessed it. Yours truly can change how he looks. I figured for our trip into the public eye it would be best to look not famous."

"That would make things decidedly easier."

"Well you can just call me, Lukas." Harry said after a moment's thought. "At least until we get into the bank. If anyone asks you who I am."

"You're a cousin from my father's side of the family. You look just like a Prince." Severus interrupted.

"Alright. You ready to go?"

"We will be flooing straight to the Leaky Cauldron. I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"I would never dream of misbehaving around my dear older cousin Severus. I mean I've looked up to him for like ever. He is such a cool guy." Harry began sounding like a young boy. "I mean he is a super famous potions master and everything!"

As Harry continued speaking he slowly grew smaller until he looked to be around an 8 year old. He even gave himself a lisp. Snape couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

"Come on Severus! We've got to go. I can't wait to go get ice cream and spend time with my favorite cousin."

So Severus smiling the entire time taught 'Lukas' how to use floo powder. The walked through the emerald flames and entered the Leaky Cauldron. Snape knew that the moment he agreed to let Harry pretend to be an 8 year old he had signed up for something awful. The moment they stepped through Harry began to act like the excited 8 year old he looked like.

"Severus! Hurry up!" Harry said dragging the normally serious man through the Leaky cauldron.

Almost every patron at the Leaky Cauldron had either heard or come face to face with Severus Snape's legendary temper. So they all stopped and watched to see the explosion that would come at the small child who was being so liberal with him. Some of the recent graduates from Hogwarts nearly fainted when the angry man smiled and allowed himself to be man handled by an eight year old.

The crowds at Diagon Alley were insane but they stared at Severus often. Never before had he been the subject of scrutiny like this. He didn't think things could get worse until he saw one of his colleagues at the apothecary.

"Severus?" Caleb Young called out. "Come over here old boy.

Caleb Young is the second youngest potions master in the Britain. He had given Severus his potions mastery staff. He was one of the few Severus could call friend despite the fact that Caleb was in his fifties. Snape felt his stomach fall to his feet, Harry would not let him live this one down.

"Caleb. It's nice to see you."

"Severus. I never thought I would see the day when you weren't wearing oppressive black and glaring at children." Caleb said smiling. "Who is this strapping young man?" he asked leaning down.

"My name is Lukas Prince!" Harry said sticking out his hand to be shaken. "I am Severus' cousin and he is taking me around Diagon Alley today."

"Is he really? Where are you going to go today?"

"We are going to go to the apothecary." Harry said with a dazzling smile. "We are surely going to get ice cream and have sundaes. Severus has other errands like at the bank too."

"If you are going to get ice cream I must insist you go to Fortesque's it has the best ice cream in all of wizarding Britain."

"I've never had wizarding ice cream! Is it better than the muggle kind?"

"Of course, young man. It has magic in it." Caleb said conspiratorially.

"Severus! We have to go there! We have to!" Harry said turning onto Snape.

"It depends on how you behave Lukas." Snape said trying not to blush. "Caleb we must really be going. I look forward to reading about your work."

Snape beat a hasty retreat being followed by Harry. When the made it to the steps of the bank he turned around to see Harry giving him a devilish grin.

"I wonder how many people I can ruin your persona for."

"You will pay for this!" Severus seethed.

"I already have. I'm taking the day to be the child I never got to be. Would you really begrudge me that?"

Snape had nothing to say to that. Instead they walked into the bank. Harry made it straight to the bathroom and came out in a few minutes looking normal. Snape followed him as he went up to one of the tellers.

"Hello. I would like to request a lineage potion test and then claim and vaults that are mine by heir right. I would also like to claim the heir ring to the Potter family."

"Name?" The goblin asked while writing everything down on parchment.

"Harry Potter."

"Age?"

"11."

"Very well. Mr. Potter, Griphook will escort you to one of our offices." The goblin said pointing to another goblin who had appeared.

"Hello Griphook. It has been some time since I saw you last." Harry said smiling at the goblin.

"You remember me?"  
"You escorted me to one of my vaults last year." Harry said knowingly.

The goblin stared at him a moment before shaking his head and leading them down a few hallways. He led them into an office and asked them to sit down. Harry sat down easily and Snape did as well feeling that it was really strange that he was even there.

[AR1]


	16. What's in a Name?

**Chapter 16! Radical Times! (I'm running out of exciting statements) It's Heir Ring Time! I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

Harry had had a strange morning. First he had seen the Dark Mark on Severus' arm. His scar had been tingling painfully so he woke up to come face to face with the Mark. He had been honest when he said he nearly had a panic attack. Logic came back into his mind eventually and he realized that maybe Snape had been forced to have the mark like Malfoy had. He had never really seen one of the marks up close and studied it for a moment. Out of curiosity he had decided to try and talk to the snake in the mark.

 _'_ _Hello.'_

 _'_ _Hello, speaker.'_

 _'_ _What is your purpose on my father's arm?'_ There is no word for guardian in the Snake language so he could only call Snape his father.

 _'_ _I connect him to my creator, the evil egg breaker. I cause pain to him if asked to by the evil egg breaker. I can also lead him to the egg breakers location. I also act as a conduit to drain the power of your father to the egg breaker.'_

 _'_ _Drain the power?'_

 _'_ _If my creator asks me to I can drain the magical core of the wizard I live upon until he dies.'_

Harry had stiffened at that point at the implications. Voldemort had the power to kill any one of his followers with merely a thought. He could torture his followers or call them at will. Harry's mind came up with a few solutions to fix this problem. Firstly you could remove the arm but then Snape couldn't really be a potions master.

The next solution would to be remove the dark mark, which is supposedly impossible. The next option was far-fetched. He could try and change the snake's loyalties. The book on parselmagic had talked about the interaction between snakes and wizards.

A snake would give it loyalty to the most powerful snake speaker it met. If Harry could prove he was more powerful than Voldemort then he could force the snake from its servitude and keep it from harming Snape. Harry had sat up at that point and angrily stared at the snake.

 _'_ _I am more powerful than the egg breaker. I have defeated him twice in the field of battle. He is merely a ghost who fears death and attacks nestlings. I am younger and more powerful you will follow me.'_

After what seemed like an eternity of staring the snake down it had nodded and transferred its loyalties. First it severed its connection with Voldemort and then it had removed its power drain ability from Snape's core.

 _'_ _I follow you now.'_

 _'_ _Good.'_

After that Snape had woken up and demanded an explanation for his changed arm. After a satisfactory explanation about the mark's origins Harry had given a half explanation about the change in the mark and then changed its design. He had not expected the immense joy in the man's eyes.

Then after breakfast Harry spent 55 minutes transforming his features into something new. A prank idea came to him and decided to make himself look like Snape. He even practiced changing his age. When he came out he felt even better when he saw the look on Snape's face.

The entire trip to Gringotts was hilarious to Harry. Now they were seated inside one of their offices waiting for a goblin to test Harry's blood. One came in and introduced himself.

"Hello, I am Bluntfist. I have the lineage potion here. I merely need a few drops of blood."

Harry nodded and took the knife that was handed to him. He cut open his thumb and let the drops fall into the vial. Once the correct number dropped, three. He watched as the potion was dumped onto the parchment. The familiar list rose out of the parchment and Harry smiled at what was going to be a ridiculously long name.

 _Harry James Slytherin Potter_

 _Heads to the families_

 _Slytherin_

 _Gryffindor_

 _Potter_

 _Peverell_

 _Related to the families:_

 _Hufflepuff_

 _Black_

 _(Heir apparent upon death of current head)_

 _Flamel_

 _(Heir apparent upon death of current head)_

 _Malfoy_

 _Prince_

Bluntfist read the list out loud and ignored the sputtering of Snape. The goblin nodded at Harry.

"We shall get the necessary heir and house rings for you, Sir Potter. If you wait just a moment."

"I will be happy to wait Mr. Bluntfist."

The goblin left after handing Harry the parchment. Harry turned to see the stunned face of Severus Snape.

"So…" Harry began.

"Why does it say your name is Harry James **_Slytherin_** Potter?"

"Because that's my name. I am the head of the house of Slytherin, well I will be once I get the house ring and stuff."

"But how?"

"Ancient ritual, it's a long story I'm not quite able to tell you all about. I have many secrets that aren't all mine to tell. So what order do you think this is going to be in?"

Snape stared at him for a moment before snatching the parchment away from Harry. Snape stared at it for a moment as if he was taking in everything on the paper. Until he finally stuttered out.

"Harry James Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin Potter."

"Sounds auspicious and snobby enough to fit in anywhere."

"I suppose. Did you know about all of these?"

"Yep. Do you think they will give me the heir rings to the Flamel and Black house or just the head rings?"

"Harry if you had many more names you would run out of fingers."

"I suppose."

"Do you realize how much wealth this is? You will have enough to call the Malfoy's paupers"

"I hadn't really thought about the amount very much. The only thought I gave about it was the fact that I was due enough money in my life that growing up the way I did was ridiculous."

Harry enjoyed looked at his normally serious and put together professor look so flabbergasted. Snape glanced down again and then looked at the last name on the list.

"Prince?" He asked in barely a whisper.

"We really are cousins! Surprise!" Harry said splaying his hands out and waving them.

"But how? I thought I was the last of the Prince line."

"I don't know. All I know is that it is distant enough that your name wouldn't go to me if you died."

"Not necessarily. Unless I have children my godchild gets my name."

"Oh so Draco Malfoy is your heir? Cool. I hardly need any more names. I don't have a tapestry that shows how all of this connects or if we are related through my mother or father. I wouldn't even know how to go about finding out."

Snape leaned back into his chair and put his left hand onto his face while handing Harry back the parchment. A few moments later Bluntfist returned with 6 boxes and a stack of parchment. Each box was the size to comfortably fit a ring. Bluntfist laid the boxes down in front of Harry.

"Open them in this order and put them on one at a time." He commanded.

Harry grabbed the first box and opened it. It wasn't one he recognized, maybe the Peverell house. It was a silver ring with black inlay at the top. In the center of the ring it was a triangle with a line down the center and a circle inside. It was interesting to say the least. Harry slipped it onto the pinky finger of his left hand.

The magic swirled around him like it was tasting him. Suddenly the ring tightened around him and accepted him. The goblin nodded and pushed some parchment forward. They were legal documents to change his name and give him access to the Peverell vaults.

After those were signed and witnessed Harry opened the next box. This one was the familiar red and gold of the Gryffindor crest. Harry put that ring on the next finger on the left hand. This one accepted him easily and Harry smiled as the magic rushed him again. He signed the next stack of parchment and felt good about the day. The next ring was the Slytherin ring and Harry felt smug at this ring.

Out of all the houses Harry was claiming this one he deserved the most. Harry had defeated that monster twice and challenged the old magics for the title. He had won too. He slipped the ring onto his finger and it fit perfectly like it already knew how his hand was supposed to feel.

Papers signed and finally the Potter head ring. He removed the ring and his breath caught in his throat. It was a beautiful thing. It had a deep burgundy color, on top of it was a silver dragon with a tiny ruby in its eye. It was amazing and Harry tried to imagine his father wearing it. He tried to imagine something about his father. When nothing came he merely slipped the ring on and it fit onto him immediately.

He signed those papers too and then he tried on the heir rings. The Black ring went first and then the Flamel. Both were interesting rings but Harry was rather distracted at the ring his father had worn on his finger. After the two heir rings had accepted him he listened as Bluntfist went through what he could access. Apparently the Slytherin vaults were completely open to him but the others weren't open until he became a complete adult.

The vaults he could access were the trust fund his parents had set up and the Slytherin vaults they gave him a card that worked much like a muggle credit card. All a store owner had to do was wave his wand over his card and speak an incantation and his bank account would charge him for whatever he was buying. He took that card and the vault keys before leaving the private room. He went to a bathroom and changed back into his Lukas look. This took much less time than it had the first time


	17. I'll Pay Anything!

**Chapter 17! Such Joyous News! This is one pretty short but important to read. Just as i do every time I'll remind you to review this chapter it makes me feel giddy when you do! Also I've gotten a few reviews asking me not to put a Veela Draco and Harry together. That was never the plan so don't worry about it! Right now their eleven so it's a little weird to even think about placing two people together, at least for me. I have other plans for Draco that won't really come about for some time so don't worry yourselves for awhile at least.**

Severus noticed that Harry seemed a little despondent after they left but he seemed to perk up once they left the bank. He was instantly in Lukas form and bouncing all around. Severus did actually have to go to the apothecary so they went there next. The boy looked at each ingredient and was generally a handful while they were there. Harry made up for it by paying for all the ingredients.

"Hey apparently I'm extremely wealthy. Let me spend some of it man."

The next thing they did was go to the bookstore. While there Severus had the unfortunate opportunity to meet with Lucius who was shopping for Draco. He loved Lucius like a brother but there was no way the man would let him live this down. While they were talking and Severus could see in his friend's eyes the stories that he was planning on spreading 'Lukas' motioned for him to lean down.

"What is it Harry?" Snape whispered.

"Show him your arm Severus. If he was forced like you then shouldn't he have the option too?"

Snape stood up instantly he had completely forgotten about the mark. He smiled and looked his friend in the eye. He slowly rolled up the sleeve on his left arm. Lucius stiffened at the motion. No one just brandied about their dark mark.

"Lucius look. It's gone Luc."

For the first time in Severus' life he saw Lucius Malfoy stunned speechless. He grabbed Severus' arm and searched it. He even cast a revealing spell and found nothing no trace of the mark on his friend. Tears sprung into his eyes.

"How? You told me it was impossible." Lucius said. "You said you had tried everything. That you had had that old rotter try everything."

"Old rotter?" Harry asked. "You call Dumbledore that? That's awesome! I need some names to call him anyway."

"Lukas." Severus chided. "You shouldn't make fun of him and to answer your question Lucius. It was Harry Potter he has an ability to break the connection. He discovered it this morning when he saw my mark. He can completely remove your connection with Voldemort. I don't even feel it anymore."

"Would he do it for me? I would pay anything?"

"Anything you say?" Harry said in a tone that sounds ridiculous coming from an 8 year old. "Fair enough in exchange for your complete secrecy on the matter and an ice cream sundae the mark will be removed."

"Lukas." Lucius said. "Don't you think it's a little presumptuous to speak for Mr. Potter when he isn't here?"

In response to this Harry merely morphed back into his natural form to the stunned look of one Lucius Malfoy. Severus now had two occurrences where his normally calm friend stuttered like a fool.

"But I am here. Now your secrecy is the only thing required really. I just really want to try ice cream and I've been bothering Severus non-stop about it." Harry said. "Now do you want the mark removed today or do you want to wait?"

"Now." Lucius breathed out.

"Well then we need some place private. It's important to remember that you can tell no one."

"Why? This is amazing, I can think of three or four people who would jump for joy with the news."

"You'll understand once you see me do it. Now once we have a private place I can start, if you know of one of course." Harry said while morphing back into his Lukas form.

"Why is he doing that?"

"He told me he wanted to be a child today and I could hardly tell him no. That and it makes it easier to travel through crowded places when people are crawling over themselves to meet with the savior of the wizarding world."

"Fair enough. Now I have a private booth in a nice restaurant in London we could go there and I could feed you both lunch."

"That sounds fine Lucius. I have never felt better than I do now. I am completely free."

"I can't imagine what it feels like but I am about to know. Let's go."

Lucius led them out of Diagon Alley and then they apparated to a different part of London right inside a wizarding restaurant. Once inside Harry morphed back into his normal famous self and tried to look nice in a place he was clearly not dressed for. No one seemed to notice as they crawled over themselves to serve the boy who lived. They were led to a private room and once they were served their food Harry stood up and motioned for Lucius to show him the mark.


	18. Perilous Fancy Dinner

**Chapter 18! Sounds Super right? I've always found eating strange french foods at fancy restaurants** **to be one of the most anxiety inducing activities** **ever created by man. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter**

I can't believe I am doing this again. Do I even have enough power to convince more than one snake to follow me? These were the thoughts that ran through Harry as he knelt down and studied the mark. He knew what he needed to do. He opened his mouth.

 _"_ _Hello, My name is Harry Potter."_

Harry ignored the stiffening of the man's body when he heard Harry speak Parseltongue. It was hardly his fault it had such a bad reputation.

 _"_ _A speaker!"_ The mark hissed. _"You are the first I have met since the egg breaker."_

 _"_ _What does the egg breaker wish for you to do?"_

 _"_ _I can lead the two legger I live on towards the egg breaker, I can drain magic and life force and feed it to the egg breaker and I can also cause pain."_

 _"_ _I am more powerful than the dirty egg breaker. He is merely a wraith who fears death and floats around in the woods. I am more powerful than he and I merely a child. I defeated him twice and have claimed his name as my own through the ancient magics. If you change your loyalties to follow me. I would have no requirements you would be able to live peacefully on the two legger."_

As he spoke he let out a bit of his power so that he looked like a powerful speaker instead of a scrawny 11 year old. The snake considered him a moment before nodding and cutting all ties with Lord Moldypants. Lucius hissed in pain as the snake extracted herself. Harry looked up once it was done.

"Do you want me to change how it looks or are you okay with the same design?"

"Change it please."

 _"_ _To prove your change of loyalty change yourself to look as a snake should."_

The snake nodded in pride and changed itself till it looked the way it felt it should look. A shimmering red snake that curled around the forearm. It was a rather masculine tattoo. Harry stood up and felt a little dizzy he stumbled over to his chair and sat down. Apparently changing a snake did take up some magic. Harry waited for his vision to stop spinning and then he shook himself.

"So do you understand why I don't want people to know?"

"I admit that parseltongue isn't the most popular of abilities right now. I could understand your need for secrecy." Lucius said while never taking his eyes off the now mark free arm.

"You can tell your family you had it removed of course." Harry said. "I don't know if Draco knows anything about it but I imagine your wife does. It is good news just don't tell them how. If it got out that I speak the same language that Moldyshorts did then everyone would think I was the next up and coming dark lord and I really don't need that."

Something in that sentence made Lucius start. He looked at Harry with a strange look in his eye.

"What did you just call him?"

"Who? Oh you mean Moldyshorts. I called him Moldyshorts. I think it's a better name than the one he gave himself." Harry said. "I also call him the Dark Pastry, Lord Backwards-head, you know things like that. Really whatever comes to mind."

"Why do you call him that?" Lucius stuttered out trying not to laugh at the thought of his old master being called the Dark Pastry.

"The man gave himself a scary name so he would be feared and it worked. People were so afraid that they still don't use his name 10 years after his first defeat." Harry began. "Now I fear the monster. I would be an idiot not to but I refuse to use any of his stupid monikers. The man murdered my parents, I'm angry about that. He took away what should've been a wonderful childhood. So until I totally defeat him or he kills me I'm going to make fun of him. It's petty yes but oh so satisfying."

"You do realize that makes you a target for him and his followers?" Lucius asked.

"Yep but I was already a target. Any Dark wizard worth his salt is going to do everything in his power to destroy utterly the kid who keeps defeating him." Harry said in a flippant tone that contradicted the real fear he felt.

Lucius said nothing to that and they ate in silence. Harry tried to figure out how to eat certain things. He had never even heard of some of the food items in front of him before. While he navigated through the perils of a fancy dinner Lucius questioned him about what had happened to his mark.

"So what did you do? I always expected removing the mark would hurt more than getting it."

"I imagine if I had tried to banish the mark all together it would've killed you. I merely changed the snake on your arm so that it is no longer loyal to its creator."

"I don't know much about snake lore would you explain in a little more depth?"

"Snakes much like their Slytherin counterparts want the best possible solution for themselves. When a snake meets a speaker like myself they will often give their loyalty, their fealty, to that speaker because it has benefits for both the speaker and the snake. I, as the speaker, offer protection and they offer their loyalty to do what I ask." Harry explained. "The mark Moldyshorts created was nothing short of genius. Since he was the only known Parselmouth in Britain all snakes he met would pledge their loyalty to him which meant that they snakes in your mark would resist any kind of tampering."

"So any magic done on them not done by Voldemort himself would have very little reaction?" Lucius asked.

"Yes. Voldemort designed his mark to have many uses. It can lead his followers to him, which no doubt you both have felt his call. He can use them to cause extreme amounts of pain a method of torture I suppose you could say. That isn't the worst part of that little mark though. He made it so the snake on your arm connects directly to your magical core."

"What does that mean?" Severus asked with a strained voice.

"Moldyshorts was draining every single one of his followers of their magical power. It also allows him to kill any one of his followers with a thought. It is an awful thing but I can't help but respect the amount of planning that went into it." Harry said. "He created a sentient magical snake that would follow only his bidding and would resist tampering or removal. It was nearly foolproof the only thing I imagine he didn't plan on was another Parselmouth."

"Can snakes change their loyalty then?"

"Can Slytherins?" Harry asked. "If a snake meets another speaker, which is very rare, the snake can change its loyalty if it thinks that the new speaker could offer better protection or is generally more powerful. So instead of getting rid of the snake which would've killed you. I gave it the option of changing its loyalty to me."

"Does that make you my master now?" Lucius asked.

"No. If I was a despicable kind of person then yeah I could've done that but I didn't. I offered the snake a deal. He, or in the case of your snake She, changes her loyalty to me and in exchange they will live a comfortable life. They will have no fear of me asking them for anything and they will be safe of their human's arm. The hardest part is proving I'm more powerful."

"So in essence I have a sentient snake living on my arm that used to have the ability to kill me but now it just lays there relaxing?"

"Pretty much. Congratulations it's a girl." Harry said with a smirk.

It could be noted that there were many times one would forget that you were speaking to an eleven year old when speaking to Harry Potter. At times he was like a bitter old man, one who been through hell and back, at other times he was like a self-conscious 8 year old. At this point in time Harry was acting more like a 30 year than an 11 year old. This was easily explained but not easily understood. A child had to be intelligent as well as forced to be an adult at a young age for it to happen. Which is exactly what had happened to Harry.

Both men looked a little sick at the idea of the megalomaniac having been draining away their magic. It seemed however that the boy in front of them wasn't joking about it. Instead he was trying to eat his food without making a fool out of himself. Lucius decided to move the conversation forward.

"So Mr. Potter. How are you feeling about coming to Draco's party?"

Instead of answering Harry turned to Severus and with a devilish smirk asked an innocuous question.

"Severus. Is Mr. Potter the correct name now?"

Snape scowled looking down into his food.

"Harry. I have honestly no idea what the proper name is to use. I suppose it depends on whom you are with." Severus said. "You have more names than Albus I think."

"No I think we have the same number."

"No he has five and you have six. You have one of the most pretentious names I have ever read." Severus argued.

"What is your name then?" Lucius asked intrigued.

"Harry James Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin Potter at your service. One of the richest men in all the British isles and only known survivor of the killing curse." Harry said with a pompous tone.

For the third time in a space of an hour Lucius Malfoy was stunned silence. The Gryffindor wasn't really all that surprising. The Potters were known descendants of the Gryffindor line. After the last war it would make sense that the head of house could fall to Harry. The Peverell name that one sounded strangely familiar but Lucius couldn't quite place it. The one that really hit him was the Slytherin. How on earth had he gotten that title?

"That's quite a name." Lucius said since he really had no idea what to do with all of this information.

"I like it though it is a bit pompous. I mean the last guy who started touting around the Slytherin name became evil and insane." Harry answered. "I wonder if the name is cursed or something."

"I highly doubt someone went through the trouble of cursing a name." Lucius said.

"I'll have to look into it." Harry resolved. "So what does happen at a birthday party? I've never attended one so I'm unsure of the details."

"Well for Draco's normally we have a nice meal and then while we are eating Draco's favorite kind of cake he opens his presents." Lucius said. "It's a rather simple thing nothing too extravagant."

Harry nodded and the conversation moved on. They discussed Hogwarts mostly. Who was going to teach DADA next year now that Quirrel had 'passed on'? Harry fought not to shiver at the reminder of that particular event. Once lunch was over they separated ways.

"Have fun with your freedom Mr. Malfoy. Don't waste it, not all are so lucky." Harry said right before Snape used his magic to make them disappear.


	19. Hufflepuff Loyalty

**Chapter 19! Praise! I have to say right now i do not believe Hufflepuffs get enough love in this fandom. I mean I love Hufflepuffs and get bothered when people don't get why they are just so awesome. Review and tell me what you thought about this chapter.**

Snape decided he had had enough surprises, enough changes in his world view, enough strange happenings. He could only hope that going back to Hogwarts would help. Nothing too crazy could happen there right? Nothing too earth shattering. I mean what more could Harry possibly have that could surprise him. The Parseltongue was surprising, the long list of names unexpected, the dark mark business was earth shattering and it was just too much. He needed to brew.

So he apparated right near the wards of the castle. He knew Harry had wanted to go to other places in Diagon Alley but it was just too much. Harry seemed to sense that it had been a long day so he did not mention that they had had other places to visit. Snape was grateful he just didn't have the mental strength for any more Potter surprises today. I mean how much was the boy really capable of?

"Harry. I need to relax today. I am going to brew. Please be here for dinner but you can do whatever you like for the rest of the afternoon."

"I understand Severus. If you like you can invite anyone who has been asking about me to dinner. I think the staff has been avoiding me since they don't want to make things worse. I've seen Flitwick rush out of the library whenever I enter." Harry said. "I think they might be embarrassed."

"Are you really ready to speak to the staff? I asked them to avoid you so you could heal without outside pressure." Severus asked.

"Yeah I'm ready. The longer I put this off the more difficult it is going to be." Harry said with a sigh.

"In that case go to the Great Hall at 6 pm and we can eat with the entire staff." Severus said. "The headmaster requires that we eat our evening meal together every day so everyone will be there."

"Great." Harry said as the approached the doors. "Who knows about your tattoo?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I realized something today while putting on all of these rings." Harry said. "I need to stop hiding. Before I was just me, just Harry it didn't matter if I was an idiot but now it's different."

"Different?"

"These rings were worn by men and women for hundreds of years. They represent a stream of important and strong people that lived and died. A stream that ends with me. I have four families who throughout history have made differences and now I am here to represent them." Harry said in a tone that made it seem like he was just having these thoughts for the first time. "I mean I don't just represent my parents anymore. I represent two founders of Hogwarts and another ancient line that's been nearly forgotten to time. I can't ignore that and so I can't hide anymore. I need to do my best even if it's just to do these names proud."

"I think that is an admirable way to look at it." Snape said secretly happy that he didn't have to convince the boy to stop hiding his skills. "What does this have to do with my 'tattoo'?"

"The first move I need to make is to show off my gifts in a way the exhibits pride. I want people to find out about my Parseltongue ability from me in a way that shows that I'm proud of it and that I'm going to use it for the betterment of people. Telling the teachers here about my ability to change your mark is a good way to start."

"How very Slytherin of you." Snape complimented.

"You forget. I am The Slytherin. Now how many people know?"

"They all know I have the mark. It isn't a big secret among survivors of the first war."

"Alright. I'll see you at dinner. If you would do me a favor and wear short sleeves or at least ones that aren't so tight. I imagine plenty of people will want to look at your arm."

"I agree."

So they split off. Harry went heavens knows where in the castle and Snape went to his personal potions lab. There was a portrait of an old potions master that Snape could easily remember, her name was Ariana Knutson and she was one of the major female potioneers in history. This portrait of her was of her in her old age and she was often found sleeping this time however she gone. She probably left to visit some other portrait.

It didn't bother Snape he merely went to his list of potions needed for the next year and started brewing a bruise salve. Time passed and in about thirty minutes Snape didn't notice when a new person strolled into the portrait frame. If Snape had looked up he would've seen a strange man. The man was wearing anciently styled robes that were a deep green with silver trimmings. The man had black hair that was graying and a finely trimmed beard.

The man in question was watching Severus brew with extreme interest. Once Severus had finished brewing the man cleared his throat and spoke.

"That was well brewed. It has been some time since I've seen or spoken to another master of the art. I so rarely leave my own portrait."

Severus started and looked up at the man now inhabiting Ariana's portrait. He was sitting down in her chair and staring at him hard as if he was studying him.

"Who are you?"

"That hardly matters. You are Severus Snape correct? Harry told me that I would have to come here if I wanted to meet you." The strange man said.

"You know Harry? Is he who he goes to meet when he leaves?"

"Yes me and a few other portraits. I see he hasn't told you a thing then."

"He only told me that the person he was speaking with was entirely trustworthy and that even I would trust you." Severus said now studying the man in the painting.

"Harry told me you were the head of the Slytherin house and the potions master?" The man asked and continued at Severus' nod. "I was the potions master and the head of the Slytherin House during my time. Granted Hogwarts was much smaller when I was alive. She really has grown quite bit. It took me a while to find the dungeons."

"How long ago was that?" Severus asked intrigued.

"If I told you that you could figure out my identity." The man said with a smirk. "I just came here to get a good idea of what kind of person you were. I've only known Harry for a short time but I feel extremely attached to him. I don't want anyone to hurt him more than he has already been hurt. He seems to be warming up to you though."

Severus was confused about plenty of things. It had already been a long day one full of surprises. However speaking to this unnamed man did not confuse him. He saw the look of protectiveness and care that came into his eyes when talking about Harry. The man cared about him and so did Severus. He could trust this man at least when it came to Harry. Severus summoned a chair and sat down.

"I admit that when I first met Harry I was angry and bitter. I took that out on him for the mistakes of his father. However this summer I was forced to look past my anger, bitterness and regret and see the real Harry. Not the carbon copy of his father I had assumed him to be. Once I saw who the boy truly was I resolved myself to help him." Severus said after a moment of thought.

"When I first met Harry I was surprised that someone from the house of Gryffindor could be like that." The man admitted. "I had him sit down in a chair right in front of my portrait and talk. I told him that I wouldn't help him until I was sure he was worthy of the help. The things he admitted too were horrific. If I had been alive I would've left the castle immediately to murder the muggles who did it to him."

"He told you? All of it?" Severus said with a look of shock.

"He came to me looking for information. I could give it but I would only give it to someone who would not use it for nefarious purposes. Someone who was Slytherin enough but had the honor of a Gryffindor." The man mused. "He knew that he had to prove it and I assume since I was a portrait he felt comfortable enough to talk about it. He did it in an odd way though."

"Odd?"

"He spoke like he was an automaton, a lack of emotion or empathy. He sounded more like he was reading a boring textbook than recalling awful events of abuse." The man said. "I assume that actually admitted it to someone alive who he knew personally would not have that reaction. As it is his confession to me hardly helps him any. I'm dead I can offer no comfort. I can merely advise him and teach him."

"I still can't believe he told you everything. I've been trying to get him to open up for weeks." Snape moaned.

"I imagine now that he has decided to hide no longer he will be more open."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted him to get his heir rings so that he would have a reason to stand proud. His relatives gave him many many reasons to be ashamed. He found no reason to talk about his life because he finds it the most depressing and unimportant thing in the world. But now hopefully that he has something to be proud of representing he will talk, he will be himself, he will push himself instead of holding back." The man said. "I want you to help him with that."

"I was planning on doing just that."

"Good. He told me about the removal of your mark and a quick summary of where you received it. If we had met when you were a child. I would've taught you as well. You are the kind of student I look for. It's just as well. I need to return Harry and the others are waiting for me."

"Before you go could you at least tell me your name?"

"I suppose but don't go spouting it around. I'm supposed to be quite missing. Salazar Slytherin Founder of Hogwarts at your service." The man said in the same tone Harry had used at lunch.

Before Snape could say anything the man had slipped away and disappeared. Snape collapsed on himself. There was no way he had just had a conversation with the Salazar Slytherin. There was just no way. There was no way that Salazar Slytherin was acting as an advisor to Harry Potter. There was just no way. There was no possible way that Harry could make something like happen.

Then again the boy had survived the killing curse. And managed to defeat a troll as an 11 year old. Harry Bloody Potter had managed to do many impossible things already. I wonder if he wrote down a list of impossible and improbable things he wanted to accomplish just to see how many he could complete. What's next is he also secretly the minister of magic? Did Harry just decided to run for office yesterday and was magically able to win?

Snape looked at the clock on the wall and realized he only had thirty minutes before dinner. He walked over and for the first time in his adult life thought _hard_ about what he would wear. He decided to forgo his heavy black teaching robes. Most teachers over the summer wore did not bother with their robes and instead wore more mugglish clothing. It was introduced by one of the older and more decent DADA teachers and everyone liked the freedom of movement. So Snape wore charcoal colored trousers and a thin black cardigan over his normal white dress shirt. Over all it wasn't too much of change but it was very different. Snape in the history of his adult life had never not worn his teaching robes.

Well if Harry was going to stop hiding then so should he. He had nothing to be ashamed of anymore. The Mark the thing that had kept him from being truly free was gone. With it left the shame and regret. He could truly smile if he wanted to. Once he was dressed with made his way to the great hall. He only hoped Harry would actually be there. He came up to the doors and took a deep breath. He opened them to find that half the staff was already seated and waiting. They looked up at his entrance. Then they stared.

Snape did not fight the sneer or the eye roll that came to him. He merely seated himself down. It seemed his new appearance had shocked them so much that they had nothing to say until at 5:59 pm Harry burst into the great hall looking out of breath.

"So good of you to join us Mr. Potter." Severus drawled. "You do have enough brain power to know that when I say 6pm I do mean it."

His colleges were about to interrupt when Harry answered right back.

"Well you see sir when you were talking I was hardly listening because I was too busy trying to figure out how you get your robes to billow behind you whenever you walk out of a room." Harry answered seriously.

"Potter do you honestly think that trying to figure out such asinine things is more important than listening to my instructions?" Snape demanded.

"Of course sir. As a Gryffindor I make it my mission to focus on the stupidest things possible. I find it a good Slytherin deterrent."

Flitwick couldn't help it. The entire staff was trying not to laugh but he hadn't seen anyone speak to Severus like that in years. The only one who dared was Albus and he didn't have that kind of sharp wit. Flitwick giggled. With his light laugh came an eruption of the entire staff. Severus say Harry smile at him lightly as he sat down right across from him. A few moments later after the staff had quieted Albus entered the Hall. When he saw Harry and Snape he smiled brightly.

"Severus and Harry. It is a delight to see you." Albus said.

Severus looked over when he felt someone touch his arm. He saw Harry look at him with a serious air. Severus nodded and knew he would let Harry lead this conversation. Dumbledore sat down so that he was next to Severus and facing Harry. Hagrid came next and sat down right next to Harry on Harry's other side was Minerva. The other professors were craning their necks to see the boy. Dumbledore wave his hand and the food appeared. Severus saw a dangerous look in Harry's eye and knew it was going to start. Harry was watching until Dumbledore was taking a big gulp of his tea.

"Headmaster. Did you know that Professor Snape has a tattoo on his left arm?"

Harry's well timed question was rewarded with half of the table choking on their food or drink. Albus had a hard time not spitting out his tea in surprise. Everyone knew that you did not ask Severus Snape about his Dark Mark. They all knew he had been forced into it by his father and so they avoided bringing it up ever. Now however Harry Potter was bringing it up as if it was something innocuous.

"Well yes Harry I was aware that he had suck a mark." Albus began.

"Yeah." Harry said cutting off the headmaster. "I really didn't like it though. It was really nasty like it made you feel bad just being around it and it made my scar hurt."

"Well you see my boy that Mark…" Albus said trying to save the situation.

"I mean I really did not like it. So I got rid of it."

Albus stopped talking and stared at Harry as if he had said the sky was now a violent purple. The entire table had been listening to the conversation and they had all reared back.

"Harry?" Hagrid asked. "Did ya really get rid of the mark?"

"Yes I did Hagrid." Harry said. "Professor Snape show them."

Snape who had been watching entertained snorted while rolling up his sleeve. The entire staff stared at his now bare arm and then at the green snake tattoo around his wrist. Albus reached out and touched the arm. When he didn't feel any dark energies he looked at Severus with tears in his eyes.

"I'm free Albus. I am no longer connected to the Dark Lord. That being said, I'm afraid I can no longer spy."

"My boy. I don't care about that. I am only happy that you are free." Albus said. "Harry how did you do it?"

"Magic sir." Harry said with a grin.

Severus groaned.

"If you don't tell them I will." He threatened.

Harry nodded at him.

"Well first you should know what the Dark Mark was. I mean it wasn't just a normal tattoo that had magic in it. I think that's why no could remove it because they were trying to remove it like they would any other type of magical mark." Harry said.

"Well if it wasn't a tattoo what kind of charm was it?" Flitwick asked.

"Well I'm not sure if it was a transfiguration or a charm to be honest." Harry said after a moment of thought. "Moldyshorts created a very intricate mark. I mean like it was awful and nasty but it was so complex I can't help but be impressed by his genius."

"What was so complicated?" Minerva asked.

The teachers could tell that it was hard for Harry to say it out loud so they asked questions to help ease him into it.

"He created a sentient snake that would live on the arms of his followers." Harry explained. "He would create a different snake for each follower."

"How would he do that?"

"I honestly have no idea how he created a sentient snake like that. I do know what it meant though. Parselmouths, you know people who can speak to snakes garner a bit of respect among snakes." Harry said. "When a snake meets one more often than not the snake will pledge its loyalty to the speaker. When Moldyshorts created these marks he was the only known Parselmouths in the country. Every snake he would create would swear its loyalty to him. That means it would resist any tampering done by someone that wasn't him. It also allowed him to do some more things than just mark the followers."

"Harry if only a Parselmouth could tamper with the snake then…" Albus said.

"Yeah I can talk to snakes too." Harry admitted quietly and then burst out. "It's not an evil gift I promise! I did a lot of research and it only in Britain that it has such a bad reputation. In fact in India Parselmouths are heralded as great healers! I promise I'm not evil just cause I can do some of the same things He could do."

The staff was silent. In another world many of them would wonder if Harry was really the next Dark Lord in training. There was one professor who spoke up out of the crowd.

"Well of course you're not evil." Sprout shouted. "Anyone who thinks that Harry is the next Dark Lord is a pretty ridiculous person."

With the head of Hufflepuff's pronouncement a spell seemed to have been broken. Instantly everyone was reminded of the real details of the situation and began talking at once to reassure Harry that none of them thought he was evil. Once it calmed down Harry smiled at them and continued.

"Well on to how I removed the Dark Mark. Snakes can change their loyalty if they meet another Parselmouth who is stronger. In the unlikely event during Moldyshorts reign that there was another Parselmouth that was willing to stand against him and was more powerful than him then the mark could be broken." Harry said. "That was pretty much impossible so the Marks were perfect. However now that he just a cloud of dark smoke floating around somewhere in the world, I am more powerful. That means that any person with a Dark Mark well I can free them."

"But how did you remove it?"

"I just talked to it. I mean it isn't super difficult to convince snakes to turn away from the egg breaker." Harry said.

"The egg breaker?" Severus asked speaking up for the first time.

"That's what snakes call Voldemort." Harry said bitterly. "The monster has no respect among the snakes. He murdered defenseless children and in the snake world that is unforgivable. Snakes eat each other. It's not a big deal if you kill each other if you're going to eat them later. Voldemort killed young hatchlings for nothing other than his own entertainment."

"So my boy is that why Severus has a new green tattoo on his wrist? You merely changed the snake instead of banishing it." Albus asked.

"Yeah. If I had banished it then it would've killed professor Snape. Now he just has a nice male green snake living on his wrist." Harry said. "I thought it was the better option."

"I quite agree." Severus drawled.

"You mentioned that the snake could do other things?" Flitwick pushed.

"Well it could call Professor Snape to wherever Moldyshorts was. It could also cause him tremendous amounts of pain. The snake also was directed to attach himself to Severus' magical core. It acted as a drain taking the Professor's magic and funneling it to Him." Harry said. "The more followers he got the more powerful he got. By the time he cast that killing curse at me he had the ability to drain every single one of his followers of their magic to save himself."

"And he can't do that to Severus anymore?" Albus asked.

"Unless he walked up and spoke to the snake again and did the same thing I did." Harry said.

"That's wonderful my boy!" Albus said. "Congratulations on your freedom Severus."

The other staff did the same. It was just the kind of news that made really anyone happy. A colleague was free of something that could have killed him. The meal went on and the conversations centered around Harry's Parseltongue and the mark itself. Flitwick was trying to figure out how exactly one would charm a sentient snake. McGonagall was sure first you would transfigure the ink into a snake and then charm it. Harry listened while they argued. Sprout and Hagrid were both discussing the benefits of having a Parselmouth at the school. Snakes apparently posed a problem for both the grounds keeper and the herbologist.

Albus and Severus discussed the other followers of the dark lord who would want to be freed. Severus mentioned that Harry had removed Lucius' mark as well. This proved the action was repeatable. Professor Vector and Professor Bubbling, the runes and arthimacy teachers were discussing the amount of possible magic the wizard could've drained. Harry didn't say much he just listened as a new more interesting subject came up.

"Fellow staff. I have been searching hard for a new Defense Instructor. I have a few ideas but I was wondering if you had any suggestions?" Albus asked.

Severus had an idea that he didn't honestly enjoy. He had been thinking about what Harry had told him earlier. Harry had told him that he wanted to represent the rings he had on his finger. One of those unfortunately was Potter. Severus could provide stories about Harry's mother but he only knew Harry's father as the bully he had been in school.

There was however one person alive who could speak about James Potter in an accurate way. Remus Lupin, sufferer of Lycanthropy and former best friend of James and Lily Potter. The man had a masters in Defense and it was unlikely that he would try and murder Harry like the last defense professor had tried to do. Besides it's always nice to have a werewolf on hand when he wanted to experiment on his Wolfsbane potion. Harry also had expressed interest in trying to cure the disease.

Before Severus could consider his own feelings of bitterness about the group of bullying friends he had opened his mouth to give a suggestion.

"Albus." Severus said. "Remus Lupin recently gained his mastery in defense. He would be well qualified and I could brew the potion needed to help him with his health problem. He is at least unlikely to try and attack Harry."

"I think Remus Lupin would be a great addition to the staff." Minerva added. "He was a good student and tutored while he was here. I am sure he would make a fine educator."

"I recall he was quite skilled in defense." Flitwick mused. "Would we have any place for him to go during his time of sickness?"

"If we warded his private quarters then there should be no problem." Albus answered. "Very well. I will contact the man and ask him about the position. Now as dinner is over I suggest you all make your way out of here so the house elves can clean up."

Severus stood and Harry followed him out of the great hall. Severus was very proud of Harry he had handled himself well. The other professors had also been very good. If any of them had even made mention of the possibility of him being evil it probably would've pushed Harry into silence. Thank the heavens for Pomona Sprout Hufflepuff loyalty always made things better. When they got back to Snape's private chambers he smiled lightly as he saw Harry dutifully sit down for one of their evening chats.

"Why did you look so pained when you mentioned that guy? What was his name Remus Lupin? It sounded like you didn't like him at all? And what was the illness people kept referencing?" Harry asked.

"You notice too much for your own good." Severus answered.

"Do you recall when I told you this morning about how my time at Hogwarts was not the best in my life?" Severus continued after a moment. "I told you I only had one friend and there were people who liked to bully me."

"Yes. You told me that." Harry said.

"Well. There was a group of four boys in the Gryffindor House. They were very close to each other about as close as you are with your two friends. They however did not like the Slytherin house. War time emotions were high and both that group of boys and I were on supposedly opposing sides. In that group was Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and your father James Potter." Severus explained. "They bullied me, they played pranks often and never got into trouble for it. As a teenager with few friends it seemed incredibly unfair. I've been very bitter about it."

"My dad was a bully?"

"When he was boy yes. Don't forget I gave just as good as I received. Your father and his friends would prank me and then I would prank them back. At first it was harmless but it escalated as we got older." Severus said. "Looking back it was clear that your father was very jealous of my friendship with your mother. Your mother and I were childhood friends and despite being sorted into different houses we remained close."

"You knew my mother?"  
"I knew her very well. Now stop interrupting so I can answer your first questions." Severus said.

"Sorry. It's just that no one talks about her."

"Remind me to give you some stories about her later." Severus remarked. "Your father had a gigantic crush on your mother that started when we were in our third year. She thought him a bully and wouldn't give him the time of day. Instead she spent her time with me and a few other Gryffindor girls. Your father thought I was sweet on your mother and escalated the violence between us."

"Were you?"

"Was I what?"

"Sweet on my mother? Did you like her too?" Harry asked his eyes wide.

"I was. I loved your mother. I did all the way up to the day of her wedding to your father. She invited me to the wedding. I came and saw the look of absolute joy on her face as they were married." Severus said. "At first I was envious. I thought I could've made your mother very happy. Then at the end of their wedding when I saw your parents dancing looking completely and utterly in love I realized that Lily did not belong to me. She did not owe me anything and that I really only desired friendship from her. Your mother was one of the few people who was kind to me during my life and I thought that kindness meant love instead of just kindness."

"You saw my parents wedding? Aunt Petunia always told me that they never got married and that she just eloped. Then she would call her some words I won't repeat."

"Your aunt is a liar. She was invited to their wedding but declined to go to an event that would be filled with freaks." Severus said.

"I figured. It's just that I didn't have any proof. I just kind of hoped that they had had a really happy life before everything."

"Back to the original story. Your father and I hated each other. His friends were not too fond of me either. The reason I seemed so unwilling to invite Remus Lupin to teach here is because he was part of that group."

"What about his illness? Does he have some kind of magic disease?"

"I do not think the headmaster would want me to tell you this but I feel you should know." Severus said. "Lupin is a werewolf. He has been since he was four years old. Your father and mother knew and supported him."

"Oh. Should I pretend that I don't know when I meet him?"

"I don't see why not. From what I recall Lupin was always nervous people would reject him when they found out. If you make it clear that Lycanthropy doesn't bother you then he will likely tell you himself soon enough." Severus said. "The reason I did suggest him is because the man was very good friends with your father. I think he would be a good man for you to get to know."

"You went out of your way to invite someone who could tell me about my dad even though it would bother you?" Harry asked. "Why would you do that?"

This was it an opening. Severus could feel it. If he did this correctly he could get Harry to open up. He just had to word it correctly.

"Harry. Any adult who cared for you would do the same." Severus said.

Severus had hoped Harry would see that what his relatives had done was wrong from that sentence but that wasn't what Harry got at all. Severus watched as his face grew solemn and serious. Severus wondered what he had said wrong.

"You- you care about me?" He stuttered out after a moment.

This was what he was so serious about.

"Of course I care about you, you dunderhead. I'm buying you clothing to replace your atrocious ones, I allowed you to embarrass me all day today because you wanted to, I've stayed up late at night to help you with your nightmares. I sit here every evening with you so you can talk if you need too." Severus said. "Harry what gave you the impression that I didn't?"

"No adult." He said. "No adult has ever told me that ever."

A few things happened at once and very quickly. Severus opened up to his mouth to reply but all of the air in his body was pushed out as Harry's head and body catapulted right into him. Harry's rather hard head had hit him right in the solar plexus and his thin arms were around him making it hard to take air back in. Instinctively He leaned in and wrapped his arms around the boy who was still too small for his age.

He heard Harry talking into his clothing but it didn't make much sense as he struggled to catch his breath. Once he was breathing normally he realized that not only was Harry hugging him as if he was afraid he would disappear and was sobbing. He began rubbing circles into the boys back and waited. After a long good cry session Harry calmed. He tried to pull away but Snape held on. There was a couch that would hold them both comfortably. He held Harry and slid from his chair and onto the couch. He allowed Harry to situate himself so that they were comfortable. He knew that he could not push Harry away.


	20. Opening Up

**Chapter 20! Terrific! I want to warn all of you reading that this chapter is when Harry opens up about his abuse, all of it. It's a shorter chapter but I think it's powerful in it's own way. I hope you appreciate it. I had a hard time writing it in a way that described it accurately so review and tell me how you feel.**

This was it. This was the moment that he was going to do something utterly Gryffindor. All of the founders had been pushing Harry to talk to Severus the entire afternoon. He had still been unsure there were so many reasons not to open up. Then he had said it. The words he had dreamed of hearing but had never thought it possible.

'I care about you.'

At those words Harry's mind had begun racing. No adult had ever said anything like that ever. As a little boy he had always dreamed of having his aunt and uncle say something like that to him. By the time he was 6 years old he buried that dream deep within himself. The words hit him like thunder and before he knew it he was holding onto Snape like a toddler and bawling his eyes out as he hadn't in years.

When he came to himself he had been embarrassed. He had half expected Severus to push him away disgusted but he didn't do that. He just moved them over to the couch so that they could be more comfortable. Now Harry was leaning into the man who had an arm around his shoulder in support. It was another one of those times when he threw all caution to the wind and just spoke.

"They never liked me. They never loved me." He began.

"I was left on the doorstep in the middle of the night and my Aunt told me that that was the worst mornings of her life opening the door to my screaming. According to her I came to their home with nothing but a dirty blanket and a letter telling them I was their responsibility. My earliest memories are of hunger and darkness. At first my relatives merely ignored me. They would forget to feed me, or change me. I couldn't learn to use the toilets before Dudley did so I was always dirty."

Harry let himself go silent for a while letting those old memories flow through him. Severus said nothing he merely waited.

"They did everything in their power to make me feel small and unimportant. I was a freak and I didn't deserve food every day. I was a runt who didn't need a bedroom the cupboard under the stairs would do perfectly for someone as worthless as me. That was the first word they taught me. Freak. That was my name, although I learned to answer to anything that was said in a certain tone. The tone you use when you talk about something extremely unpleasant or ugly. I didn't know my real name until I went to school."

The memory of extreme embarrassment when the teacher had called his name and he had not known it came into his mind. Dudley had laughed very hard that day.

"As soon as I could walk I was set to do chores. If they were going to be forced to keep me then I should earn my keep. At first it was just cleaning but as I grew bigger I had more responsibilities. I would cook every meal, I would do all the garden and lawn work and I would clean most of the house. Aunt Petunia did some chores, things she didn't trust the stupid freak to do but Uncle Vernon never did any."

The purple face of his fat uncle screaming at him filled his mind and he stiffened. Part of him wanted to stop but it was as if the flood gates had been opened he couldn't stop it.

"Uncle Vernon was always really rough with me but he never hit me until I did my first accidental magic. I was four at the time. I hadn't been fed in at least a week and I thought I would die. I had been locked in my cupboard for two days and the stench of the small cramped space was unbearable. I remember just wishing very very hard to be out of my cupboard with some food. Then there was a tingling in my gut and suddenly I was in the kitchen and the fridge was open. There was so much food. It was the middle of the night and I thought maybe I could feed myself some and then go back into my cupboard without anyone noticing."

Harry shivered. This was one of the harder memories since it was the first time it had happened.

"They noticed. Uncle Vernon came down the stairs to find me stuffing myself with food in the middle of the kitchen. The shade of purple his face turned would've been funny if it hadn't been so deadly. I almost didn't survive that night. He punched me hard right in the side of my head and sent me flying. Then he was dragging me to my cupboard. He ripped off my gigantic T-shirt and suddenly there was pain all over my back. He was whipping me. After what felt like an eternity and I was screaming for him to stop he pushed me back into my cupboard and he told me that if I didn't die he would make me regret it."

If Harry would have turned his face away from the fire to look at the man he was looking at he would have seen a look of absolute fury. The amount of anger no one had been able to invoke in Severus Snape in a long time.

"Something changed with Uncle Vernon that night. Both of them knew I was a wizard and had hoped that I wouldn't show off being freaky. Before that night I was merely an annoyance like a piece of gum on the bottom of his shoe. After that though I became something more. I was the reason it rained or his favorite team lost. I was the cause of all of life's difficulties. I think I also became a tool to him something to use at his will."

Harry curled up on himself then he was about to tell Snape something he had told no one. He hadn't even told Salazar.

"My magic only protected me once from Uncle Vernon. It only needed to do it once. I was five when that happened. He came into the house drunk in the middle of the night. Aunt Petunia and Dudley were gone visiting family so it was just him and me. He dragged me up the stairs into the guest room and told me to pull my pants down."

Harry did not notice Snape stiffen beside him he was caught up in the memory.

"It all felt very wrong. I don't know what tipped me off, whether it was the smell of bourbon or the strange hungry look in his eye but something felt very wrong and scary. I knew better than to say no to Uncle however. I pulled down my pants and my uncle told me to take off my underpants too. I didn't understand but I did. I felt very scared and wrong that night. As he grabbed me to molest me. For I know now that was what was going to happen that familiar tingling happened in my stomach. This time though instead of taking me away to some place safe my magic attacked."

Harry smiled suddenly this was both one of his worst and best memories.

"The magic rushed out of me and pushed him back against the wall hard. I heard a crack and knew that he wasn't going to get up for a while. I pulled up me clothing again glad it was over but it wasn't. My magic had cursed him. I still haven't found the name of it or if it even exists and I've looked. I walked over to my Uncle and saw that instead of bleeding from his head he was bleeding heavily from his pants. Part of me wished that I would've let him lie there and bleed out but instead like a good little freak I called the muggle emergency services. As they were taking him away in the ambulance I heard one of the men say to the other. 'Poor Bloke goes out to get hammered and gets his cock cut off.' Apparently my magic decided to remove any chance of him ever trying to do something like that again."

Emergency services had been able to put the part back on him since it was such a clean cut but he lost all mobility with it. Harry had learned that from listening to conversations that they had in the kitchen while he was in the cupboard. Now that that story was out in the air the other stuff would be easier.

"He never tried to do anything like that again with me. I think he feared what my magic would do if he tried. I suppose I should tell you my secret to survival in that house. That glowing you saw? It happened that first night after my Uncle whipped me with his belt. I used to call it my glowing freakishness. I haven't heard of any magic like it but it would heal me completely. It would take a lot of magic but I would feel good as new after it happened, just exhausted. I learned to hide it fast because if Vernon saw it he would beat me right then and there. I learned to control the glowing by the time I was six but sometimes I can still lose control."

Harry stared hard at the fire. What else was there to tell? Oh wait Dudley. His lard ball of his cousin.

"There are times now that I feel bad for Dudley. He was raised by two cruel people to be very cruel. He is destined to be a terrible person. As soon as his tiny brain was able to understand he was instructed to make my life awful outside of the house. He threatened anyone who could've been my friend with his fists. He and his gang would chase me around the neighborhood in a game they called 'Harry Hunting'. Dudley alone was too fat to catch me but some of his friends were very good runners and they would catch me and hold me down while he would beat on me. His parents took him out for ice cream the first time he broke my arm. They did everything in their power to make me feel worthless, unwanted, unlovable, and alone. I just don't think I'll ever be able to move on from that. I'll always wonder how someone could ever love a freak like me."

Harry was crying again and he felt like he couldn't say anything else. What else was there to say? He turned into the man who was sitting and let the tears fall silently. There was nothing more he could do. He was spent. He just cried and Severus let him. Harry fell asleep after awhile. He did not wake when Severus picked him up and carried him to his room. He wasn't awake when Snape tucked him in and placed a kiss on his forehead.


	21. Breakfast for Champions

**Chapter 21! It's Swell! This is going to be the last nightmare for a while but I think this one really explains quite a bit. Enjoy yourselves in my story and tell me how you felt in a review!**

Snape had never been so horrified. The boy had been very dignified throughout his speech. Snape had been thrust between blinding fury and paralyzing horror. When Harry had finished and then collapsed on himself Severus had no idea what to say to the boy. He just let the boy cry himself into exhaustion and then he tucked him into bed.

Severus hadn't honestly expected it to be that bad. I mean he had expected neglect, and of course the physical violence but the depth they went to, to tear this boy down, was insane. He had to stop himself from flying over to their home in a rage and murdering them. He knew somehow Harry would not appreciate the sentiment. Instead after setting an alarm to alert him if Harry had a nightmare he stormed into the Headmasters office.

Once there Severus ranted. He did not divulge too many details or very many at all unwilling to break the trust of the boy who had finally opened up to him. Mostly he just wore a hole in the head masters carpet screaming about depraved muggles. After a very vivacious and long winded rant, one that lasted 45 minutes Snape sunk into one of the chairs.

"Severus I understand some of what you said." Albus began. "I know you left out details out of respect for Mr. Potter's privacy. There is just nothing we can do."

"Nothing?"  
"Any magic done on the Dursely's that affected them negatively would end their guardianship of Harry. While that is ideally what we want once the guardianship ends the ministry has to decide where Harry ends up. There are many pure blooded wizards with enough pull to get him adopted only to arrange an accident later." Albus said. "Besides if the news got out that Muggles had abused the boy-who-lived anti-muggle sentiments would rise up and cause violence. At this point in time there is nothing I can do."

Severus let the implications of that sink in before sighing. It was true there was nothing that could be done right now. The future was a different story but as for right now Harry could not see justice. He felt only marginally better after ranting to Albus.

"Severus it has been years since I've seen you this open and free." Albus said with a small smile. "Harry getting rid of that Mark did you a world of good."

"Albus. I've never felt this free in my entire life. My father ruled me with an iron fist and Voldemort did the same. I didn't think I'd ever feel this _light_." Severus admitted. "But Harry is so weighed down. I am trying to help him but there is just so much."

"Severus. He trusts you more than anyone else in this castle. The fact that he didn't explode at you when he saw the mark and instead made moves to remove and learn your side proves that." Albus said. "If anyone can help him it is you. Tomorrow begin again. I imagine Harry will be embarrassed tomorrow after being so open. Be encouraging. Let him know that you thought he was very brave for speaking."

"I will." Severus gasped then. "Excuse me Albus Harry has just started having a nightmare. I imagine it started because he brought up such memories when talking to me. I need to get to our quarters."

"Use my floo."

Severus ran directly right up to the fire and through the floo powder. He ran into the fire shouting out the name to his quarters. He rushed through not bothering dusting himself off and ran into the room. This was not what he was expected. Before the nightmares had been heartbreaking to see but nothing too insane. Instead of screaming and crying out the boy was tossing violently and struggling along against an invisible force. The worst part was the magic. Instead of him being in control the magic was whipping around. Why would he lose control now?

The rings. Snape's heart began beating rapidly when the rings accepted him as the head of house he got the family magics. The boy wasn't trained to control that much raw power. Severus had to be careful. He was reminded of what had happened to his uncle's _extremity_ and made a feral smile. Magic could be very cruel when it wanted to. Harry's magic could harm him if he wasn't careful. Snape made his way carefully over to the struggling Harry, the magic hissing dangerously around him destroying the room.

Once he got onto the bed the Magic increased in speed. He knew the quickest way would be to enter the boys mind. This was not a normal dream truly. He moved quickly and grabbed Harry's head opened up the eyelids and cast a wandless Legilmens. Instantly he was thrust face first once more into the maze.

"Harry? I need your help?" Snape called out for the pink clad guardian. "Please come here I need to get to the inner sanctum to help wake up Harry before he loses complete control of his magic."

He saw down the hallway the pink clad guardian was running towards him. The boy looked fuller than the last time he had seen him but had a very frightened look.

"Severus come on. Harry is stuck in the Vernon room and can't get out. His mind locked him in there and he's too scared to pull himself out."

"Harry is releasing his magic all of his room and I'm afraid if he loses all control he could blow apart half of the castle."

"Very well the other guardians are switching between leading you and trying to get the door open. We've got to run."

Severus nodded and ran alongside Harry. Instead of avoiding the traps Harry merely used wandless magic and destroyed them so that they wouldn't slow down. It was an awesome display of magical prowess. When they got to the green part Sal was already there to lead him through. Harry already gone back to trying to reach Harry in the Vernon room.

Sal said nothing and began running with Severus following close behind. As they ran Sal who actually had wand used to shoot curses at any obstacle. Harry was destined to be a very powerful wizard. He already was in a sense.

"Part of the reason we can't get into the Vernon room." Sal shouted. "Is because Harry put a password on the door and only he knows what it is. When you get there try to guess the password first."

"Alright Sal."

Along the way Snape tripped a wire that caused a wall of flame to come up it burned Sal's arm but the guardian hardly stopped to gasp out in pain.

"Sal." Snape said.

"Leave it. Harry is losing more and more control the longer we wait."

When they got to James' part of the maze the boy had thought to bring his broom. Snape said nothing but got on and allowed James to fly expertly through the maze. Severus was sure he had lost his stomach somewhere after the fifth sharp turn. James didn't bother with the traps just flying over and around them. He even did a barrel roll a few times. They got through quickly enough. He was surprised to see Boy standing tall. When Snape landed the boy grabbed his hand and began leading him through the maze.

The boy was being extremely brave and if Snape didn't have sharp eyes he wouldn't have noticed how much the boy was trembling. Boy's small legs could only take them so fast so Snape had an idea.

"Boy. If you direct me I can carry you. That way we can get to Harry faster."

The boy slowed for a moment before nodding quickly Snape picked him up and began to run. He listened to Boys instructions and allowed him to disperse the traps. Apparently all the guardians were powerful in a way. Then again this guardian was the one that represented the child Harry whose magic had grown enough to save his life multiple times. They got through well enough and the moment Boy was on the ground he was gone. Potter was next.

He looked up at Potter and instead of seeing the anger he expected he saw Potter smiling.

"Come on Severus you're almost there." He said with a smile.

"Aren't you supposed to be angry?" Severus demanded after taking a deep breath and running again.

"Oh I still am. Just not at you. You promised to love Harry and you did. A few hours ago when you told him you cared for him I lost all my anger for you. Harry forgave you completely and utterly. He feels no anger for you and so neither do I." Potter said. "Now stop dawdling like an idiot and run."

Severus rolled his eyes and ran. When he got to the door of the inner sanctum he saw the other four struggling with the door.

"Severus. We will be able to open the door but from there you have to use all of your strength to get the uncle Vernon door open." Potter said. "Do you understand?"

"I do. Get me inside and I'll do the rest."

"Alright gang." James said. "Let's get this damn door open!"

The five guardians grabbed the door and pushed hard. The second the door was open wide enough Severus squeezed in. The door slammed behind him but not before heard James shout at him.

"Don't fail me now you greasy git!"

The door on the left was the one he was looking for. It was chained and someone was banging on it from the inside. Probably Harry. A scream rent the air and Snape stopped breathing. He needed to get that door open now. One of the guardians Snape was too distracted to remember who had advised him to guess the password first.

"How do I guess a password?" Snape asked the door.

Suddenly the wall to the left slid opening revealing parchment and a quill. He just had to write the password down? He grabbed the quill and twirled it in his fingers. He thought hard. Harry would pick something that he had told no one. The idea came to him suddenly and once it entered it would never leave. Snape leaned over and wrote out in his neat script.

'Cock Removal Curse'

It was crude yes but fitting. The words glowed gold before disappearing. The chains on the door disappeared and the door clicked. He grabbed the door and thrust it open. He looked into the room and saw Harry sitting in the middle of the room rocking back and forth crying out every once in a while. Snape rushed up and gathered the boy in a hug.

"Harry I need you to pull out of it. You are not with your uncle. You are in your mind you are safe. I am here with you."

The boy struggled and screamed. Then Snape realized he wouldn't easily be able to leave the memories if he was in this room. The room was awful and made Snape want to throw up and then go curse the damn muggle. He gathered Harry up and left the room. He walked up the hallway looking for a room with more pleasant memories. Then he saw it. Quidditch! He ran over to the room and opened the door.

He was surprised that the door had no password protections but then he saw why. Each and every memory was a hard to catch snitch unless you were a world class seeker the memories were well protected. He rushed into the middle of the pitch and sat down. The last thirty minutes of frantic running was hitting him pretty hard.

So there sitting in the middle of the quidditch pitch he rocked Harry back and forth. Slowly the boy relaxed but was still stuck in the nightmare. Suddenly a snitch flew right next to him. Snape grabbed it and pushed it into Harry's hand. Suddenly the boy was brought out of the Vernon nightmare and into a memory of quidditch practice. The boy relaxed completely and a smile graced his features.

"Harry." Snape called. "I need you to wake up now. Harry it's important that you open your eyes. We are in your mind. I had to break in to help you out of your nightmare."

Snape continued this mantra until Harry opened his eyes and stared at him in wonder.

"Thank you Severus. You have no idea how awful that was. I couldn't get out the memories just kept replaying over and over in my mind." Harry said trembling.

"Harry I found out something that I had not realized before. Do you know what family magics are?"

"Grandfather touched on them briefly but I'm not familiar with them." Harry answered honestly.

"Family magic is magic that stays within a particular family. That is where the idea of Pureblooded Supremacy comes from. Heads of houses of ancient families would have family magics that would give them special gifts or just extra power. A popular example is Parseltongue from the Slytherin family." Snape explained. "You were already quite a powerful young wizard before you got your rings. When you got those rings you accepted the family magics. You are now much more powerful."

"What does that have to do with my dreams?"

"You were so afraid, for good reason, that you lost control of your magic. Now that you have so much of it, it was whirling around in the room so quickly that I was afraid you would destroy it."

"I didn't did I?" Harry asked worriedly.

"I am not injured so I don't believe you did. Although your room is likely to be a mess."

"My room?"

"Yes your room. The on you've been occupying all summer."

"I just thought it was your guest room." Harry muttered.

"Harry. It didn't exist in the first place. Hogwarts has the ability to add and remove rooms at will within her structure based on the need of its inhabitants. The room you occupy was created specifically for you. It is your room." Snape explained.

Now Snape understood why the boy had not yet unpacked there was no reason to when you were merely living in someone else's room.

"Oh. I didn't know." Harry said blushing.

"Now Harry. I need you to push me out of your mind and wake up completely. Can you do that?"  
"Yes Severus." Harry said.

With those words Snape felt himself flying out of the boys mind and straight into his own. He gasped and looked around. The room looked like a warzone. Glass strewn everywhere, parchment ripped and torn. Books opened to random pages and damaged. The only part untouched was the bed itself where Harry lay. Harry got up slowly.

"I did this?" He asked in an amazed tone.

"Yes. I was quite afraid that if I was not careful I would suffer a fate similar to your uncle's. Your magic was quite out of control."

"Oh. So you figured out my password!" Harry said with a large blush blooming across his features. "I thought it was pretty good."

"I feel I am the only one who could've guessed it." Snape answered honestly.

"Yeah you're the only one I've told that too. I didn't even tell Grandfather."

"Who is Grandfather?" Snape asked.

"Salazar Slytherin's portrait demanded that since I was taking his name I should at least call him Grandpa Sal." Harry said with a smirk. "It is by far one of the weirdest things I have ever done."

"I admit I have a hard time imagining you calling Salazar Slytherin Grandpa." Snape said. "Now back to the issue with your magic. We need to begin immediately on training you with control. The headmaster is the best for this since he had a power source much like yours. For now though I need you to take a sleeping potion to keep you from dreaming. Until we are sure you can control your magic if a dream gets too violent you could blow up part of the castle."

"I'm sorry." Harry said ducking his head down.

"There is no need for apology. You have a great many gifts and that is something to be proud of. This one just requires a lot of work." Snape said with a smile. "Now lay down and I will be back momentarily with the potion."

Snape fed Harry the dreamless sleep potion and gave Harry a hug. The boy hadn't requested he stay so he left and collapsed into a chair by the fire. It was 2 in the morning and he needed to talk to Albus. He cast a patronous and sent it with a message. Fifteen minutes later Albus came into the quarters looked bemused.

"What could you possibly need at this time Severus?" He asked.

"Come with me." Severus said standing.

He took him to Harry's room witch was still destroyed.

"What happened?" Albus asked.

"I believe Harry has just had a large power increase from accepting the family rings. He had a particularly bad nightmare and lost control of his magic. I had to wake him using legilimency." Snape explained.

"Did you say rings?" Albus asked.

"You may be able to see them but the boy has 4 head of house rings on his fingers and two heir rings." Severus explained. "He has a longer name than you Albus."

"What is his name now?" Albus asked his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Harry James Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin Potter heir to the Black and Flamel names." Snape said with a sigh.

"Slytherin? How did he get that name I wonder?" Albus asked his was full of amusement.

"Honestly I have no idea but I saw the ring accept him so there is hardly any doubt it is his name."

"He was already quite a powerful young wizard. The family magics don't add any magic to your core they merely amplify it. I wouldn't be surprised if he needed a custom wand."

"Custom?" Severus asked.

"There are few normal wands that can handle the amount of power he now wields. I mean he could now destroy his current wand with magical overload."

"That's possible?"

"Yes. I did it to my first two wands as I grew stronger until I finally found one that would be able to handle the amount of power I possessed."

"Albus. He needs training. I can hardly train him to control that amount of power." Severus said.

"He already has the control my boy. I can sense it in him. He merely needs to use magic often so that he doesn't overflow."

"Overflow?"

"As a child his core isn't big enough to hold a lot of magic for a long time. If he doesn't expend it he will have bursts of accidental magic like the one you just witnessed." Albus explained. "He just needs to practice magic every day. If he does that his core size will grow and he won't have any accidents."

"Do you think the other professors will help?"

"Of course my dear boy. At dinner today we can plan out a schedule of training sessions." Albus said. "Now go to sleep my boy. You look exhausted. I imagine it wasn't easy getting into his barriers under such duress."

So Severus bid Albus goodbye and collapsed into his bed. He was asleep almost instantly. He was woken up by the smell of breakfast. It seemed the House elves had decided to bring the food before he called for it. He stood up and changed his clothing and walked out of his room and into the weirdest sight he had ever seen.

Sitting at his table was four house elves who were talking and giggling while Harry cooked in the kitchen. That was just strange but the weirdest part was that Harry was cooking entirely with magic. There was no wand in sight and Harry was merely waving his hand around his levitation charms, summoning charms, and who knows what else to call around ingredients that he would add to the mixtures. He stood in the door frame and watched for a while.

"Alright Klangly your blueberry waffles with bacon omelet is complete." Harry said using magic to send the plate right in front of the house elf.

"Now to Dacker. The loser of the bet I have created chocolate chip pancakes with scrambled eggs." Harry said returning in a moment with the corresponding plate. "And Millie the wonderful Millie the winner of our bet I bring you your favorite meal. French toast drowned in syrup with a side of chocolate pudding."

Harry left and returned with a final plate for the fourth house elf. It contained a giant omelet that Harry titled a 'monster omelet' for the esteemed Filly. It was after that display finished that Snape cleared his throat. All five stiffened at the noise and Harry looked up at him.

"Good Morning Severus. I'm cooking this morning so what would you like?"

"You are cooking? Why?"

"Well, these esteemed house elves and I had a bet going. If I lost the bet I would have to prepare for them their favorite breakfast meals. I lost so here I am cooking again. Not that I mind, cooking is and was one of my favorite chores." Harry explained. "Now what do you want? You name it and I'll cook it."

"What I have every morning will be fine."

"So coffee as black as your clothing, three eggs, one of which is poached, and a croissant?"

"Of course." Severus answered. "Now where am I supposed to sit?"

At the end of that question he saw Harry wave his hand and in came a chair from one of the other rooms. Harry went into the kitchen and continued cooking. Snape sat down and looked at his four unexpected guests.

"So what was the bet?" He asked.

"Well." Klangly said looking towards the kitchen.

"Go ahead and tell him." Harry shouted from the kitchen.

"We elves knew that Harry would be more powerful than Dumblydores sir." Klangly said.

"Yes. We knew but Harry was sure he would never be that strong." Millie continued.

"So we made a bets!" Dacker said excitedly. "And we wons!"

"Then why did Harry call you the loser?"

"I bets he wouldn't be more powerful until Christmas sir. I was the latest in the year."

"So who won?" Severus asked.

"I did sirs!" Millie shouted. "I bets he would be more powerful befores his birthday."

"Why were you so sure of Harry?"

"He is a good wizard and the magics know so." Mille explained as if that answered all of it.

Snape leaned back and waited. In ten minutes the boy returned with two plates. One obviously for him and the other for Harry himself. While he had been waiting the house elves had been eating steadfastly. When Harry came out they were finished.

"We must be goings to work now Harry." Millie said. "Now you must be visitings the kitchen soon."

"I will Millie I promise."

With that the elves popped out of existence and Harry laid the first plate down in front of Snape and the other one in front of himself. He sat down and started eating. Snape looked at his own food. It looked well prepared, something he would see in a restaurant. Which would make sense last night he had learned that Harry had been made to cook very early on in his childhood. It would make sense that he would have skills in the kitchen. He grabbed the fork and ate the food.

It was very good. Which while not surprising was a happy fact. He noticed Harry was watching him worriedly. The boy having already finished his meal. When he finished he leaned back and looked at the boy.

"I noticed you weren't using your wand this morning." Snape said.

"Huh? Yeah I was going to but it felt really hot in my hand and it nearly burned my hand so I decided to just go without it." Harry said with a shrug. "Now onto more important matters. What did you think of the food? The Dursely's never liked my cooking."

"The Dursely's most likely lacked taste buds." Snape said with a sneer. "The food was quite good."

"Thanks Severus! Now I was thinking. I should do magic today. Like a lot of it. If I do enough I'll be so tired that I won't have any crazy dreams."

"The headmaster was of the same opinion." Severus said. "He told me that since you have so much more magic at your disposal the more you use it the better control you will have."

"Awesome! Did you want to come with me to train? Grandpa said I could invite you."

"He said that? Salazar said you could invite me to visit him?"

"Yeah the others agreed. You've got to promise to be extra respectful to Gramps."

"Who is Gramps?" Snape asked intrigued.

"Godric Gryffindor. He is pretty loud and well generally how you would expect him to be. Grandmother Helga and Grandma Ro are very different though."

"You call all four founders your grandparents?"

"They asked me too. Grandma Ro is the one who told me I could trust you."

"Rowena Ravenclaw knows who I am and thought I was trustworthy?"

"You know I won't take you with me if you keep acting so surprised about everything I say." Harry said. "I just thought you would want to see Grandpa Sal's potions lab. It's pretty extensive."

"Extensive?" Snape asked.

"Yeah I mean I think you would appreciate it more than I do. Grandpa talks about it as if it's his baby."

"Very well we shall go today." Snape said trying to sound resigned and mask his excitement.

"Okay just let me get my stuff!" Harry said bounding out of the room.

He returned moments later with a backpack, his wand and the old parselscript book. Harry opened the door and motioned for him to follow.

"Now it's not very clean down there." Harry said as he led the way.

Severus knew where they were going. The girls bathroom on the second floor. When they got there Harry went over to one of the pipes and leaned down and hissed into them.

"The password is Parseltongue. All you have to do is tell it to open and then ask for stairs." Harry explained. "Be careful it can be pretty slippery."

"I shall endeavor not to fall down the stairs." Snape said sarcastically right before his foot slipped and he landed on his back.

"I told you Severus." Harry said while helping him up.

Snape endeavored to ignore the snickering he heard from the boy and continued regally down the stairs. They came up to the doors that had blocked Severus before. Harry went up and hissed at the doors and they swung open revealing a large well lit room.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets." Harry said with a smile.

"You weren't lying when you said you had found it."

"Nope. Now come on and let me give you the grand tour." Harry said pulling Snape inside. "Over there you have entrances to the large pipe system that runs through the school. In the event of an attack on the castle Salazar's monster would use these to get to the fray as quickly as possible." He said pointing to the far end of the corridor.

"Salazar's monster? It's real?"

"She is a hibernating Basilisk currently residing somewhere in that statue over there." Harry said pointing to a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin. "I haven't called her awake since I have no desire to be face to face with a hungry cranky Basilisk."

"That would be the logical thing to do."

"Yeah it's what's behind the statue that's the cool part." Harry said walking around behind the statue. "This door leads to the potions lab and private rooms. Only a person of Salazar's blood can open it."

Harry opened the door and Severus' eyes widened. The room had a few couches and looked extremely cozy and warm. There was a desk off to the side and along the walls four portraits of the famous founders. They all smiled and waved at Harry. Godric spoke first.

"So you brought down that old snake of yours eh?" The man bellowed. "Good! I wanted to get to know him."

"Godric. You are so loud sometimes." Helga complained. "Hello my name is Helga Hufflepuff. Please sit down."

Before Snape could sit down Harry jumped.

"Oh right. Grandpa Sal do I have permission to show him your potions lab?"

"Yes it will be good to have another master in there." Salazar said.

"Come on Severus. You are really going to like this room."

Harry walked over to one of the rooms and opened the door. Snape couldn't help it his jaw dropped. The room was gorgeous. A huge potions cabinet lined the walls on one side and on the other an ingredients closet. He ran over there and opened the door and began salivating. Row and rows of properly stored ingredients both common and rare. Along the third wall were cauldrons of all sizes and types, properly cleaned. He just looked at the large and glorious space for a moment and took it all in.

"Severus." Harry said after a moment. "You can play later but there's more."

"More?" Severus asked.

"Yeah the library. You know where all the books are."

"There's a library?"

"Grandpa's Sal's personal one. It's over this way."

Harry pulled him to the wall that contained the potion ingredients and a door appeared. He opened this door and inside was a room full of books. Severus was stunned all of this was in the bowels of the castle?

"It's organized by subject. The largest group is the potions since it is Salazar Slytherin's chamber." Harry explained. "Over there is the charms and transfigurations, there's a whole section on ancient blood rites, there's a section on history. Salazar said he had a book written by Merlin himself somewhere in there. Really any topic that comes to mind he is bound to have at least a book on it."

"Harry this is amazing." Severus breathed out.

"Yeah but now we've got to go back and talk to the founders. Salazar wants to talk about your Wolfsbane potion. He thought it was genius of you to figure something out like that. While you guys are talking Gramps was going to train me."

"Salazar Slytherin wants to talk about my potions?" Snape demanded.

"Stop repeating everything I say and come on." Harry said rolling his eyes.

Harry had to drag Severus out of the potions lab and into the sitting room. He pushed Severus onto the couch.

"Now go talk potions while Gramps trains me." Harry commanded sternly.


	22. Mr Moony

**Chapter 22! Swagg! Thanks for all the support I've gotten guys we are pretty close to the end only a few more chapters. We introduce a new person into the story and I hope you find him as wonderful as I do. Next chapter is in his POV too! Review and let me know.**

The nightmares had been awful that night. He did not think to occlude his thoughts and he had brought up a lot of memories with Severus that night. The memories had engulfed him in an awful cycle. There were times he heard someone calling for him to wake up but he couldn't the memories were too strong for him to fight.

Then suddenly he was flying on his broom on a sunny day. They were practicing different techniques on a Saturday, the team and him. He felt calm and happy and then he heard Severus calling or him. He was still dreaming and he needed to wake up enough to be in his inner sanctum. Snape was in his mind with him and needed him to open his eyes. He had forced them open to see the look of a very stressed out Severus Snape.

Apparently he had lost control of his magic and might've destroyed the room. No not the room his room. The castle made the room specifically for him, it was his. That gave him a warm feeling inside. Snape had been so patient with him. No anger about the extremely destroyed room only sentiments of care and worry about Harry's own wellbeing.

It was odd for Harry but the warm feeling in his chest did not fade for some time after. Snape had given him a dreamless sleep and Harry had passed out he had woken up to four smiling faces. The elves. They had felt his releases of magic and were here to collect on his debt. When he had started using magic with his wand the wand began heating up and shaking. So no wand use that morning. Maybe the wand didn't work anymore?

So Harry cooked six different breakfast meals all equally as good and enjoyable. The house elves left shortly after Snape woke up because they were nervous about being in trouble. Snape seemed cool with it though. So here he was standing in front of Gramps explaining the problem with his magic.

"Your wand gets hot to the touch?" Godric shouted, he always seem to shout. "That's wonderful news! Helga, Rowena Did you hear the news our Harry is ready for his first staff!"

"Oh dear that's wonderful!" Rowena said smiling. "A young witch or wizards first staff is a wonderful occasion."

"First staff? What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Harry." Helga said with a shake of her head causing her golden curls bounce around. "I suppose it is a tradition that fell out of practice but when we were alive we only took on the strongest of students as our apprentices. The others we would teach the basics of magic but our apprentices would go on to be masters."

"We would know they would be great based on how early they took up their first staff." Rowena continued the explanation. "You see as your magical power increases regular wands can't channel it. If you were to try to cast a complicated or moderately powerful spell with your wand you would shatter it. So it's time for you to make your own staff."

"A very auspicious occasion." Godric boomed out. "You'll have to make it yourself, collect the wood you wish to use and the cores. Design it yourself and create it with your magic in mind of course. It's all great fun."

"I've never made a staff before." Harry said.

"Of course you haven't." Salazar said having overheard the conversation. "One of my journals in the library will have the process written down for you. You can start crafting it once you have all the supplies. We can discuss this later of course. You need to practice some magic else you'll explode."

"Right wandless magic! My favorite." Godric beamed.

So the instructions began. Godric talked about theory as if it was the most exciting thing in the world. Godric, despite his intelligence, was one of those bubbly personalities. Everything from the complex theories, to simple rules to doing the magic was just as exciting for him. The man loved magic. He spoke with his hands and gesticulated wildly.

The man had had an amazing duel in his youth where he had been cursed with wild magic. His hair had turned a silvery white as had his eyes. He lost his ability to see normally because of it. He and the other founders had developed a new kind of magic for him. With a lot of practice he learned to focus his magical power to his eyes and it allowed him to 'see' the magic in all living things.

When they built Hogwarts the founders enchanted every piece of stone, every door, every chair and table with something so that Godric could see it. So much magic was used that the castle eventually became slightly sentient. There were some things Godric's magic sight couldn't do. He could not see faces clearly or even bodies clearly. If something wasn't enchanted or charmed it would be a large black void in his vision where the object should be. If he left the castle he was nearly blind only being able to see the magical cores of his fellow wizards and witches and nothing else.

Despite this Godric was a master swordsman, having learned since his childhood. When he would begin fighting he would cast a powerful charm that would coat everything in his immediate area with magic. It would give him the outline of everything in the area and he could fight with ease. The spell only lasted a certain amount of time and took a lot of magic so it had its drawbacks. He learned to fight efficiently and his apprentices were known as some of the best duelists ending their battles quickly but having the endurance to last hours if needed.

So Godric had learned to use his weakness to his advantage. He was a generally very happy and bubbly person. Which is the reason he and Salazar always fought. Salazar was the sarcastic biting type whose personality clashed violently with Godric's exuberant one. Salazar and he disagreed on everything from color choices, despite the fact that Godric couldn't see colors, to dueling competitions despite the fact that Salazar didn't duel.

Harry liked Godric he imagined that this was exactly what he would have wanted in a father. Someone who totally could understand the idea of taking on a troll at eleven years old. Something that Salazar did not approve of. Godric thought quidditch was awesome and Salazar thought it was an awful waste of time. Godric thought spending time pranking people was an admirable pursuit and surprisingly Salazar agreed.

When the men had been alive they had pranked each other endlessly often getting in trouble with the female founders for involving their students. The female founders were hardly more mature they just disapproved when they involved the students. It was unprofessional to teach students how to hex each other's hair bright pink they argued.

Harry practiced his magic for two hours while Severus waxed old about potions with Salazar. He was tired by the end of it. So he collapsed into the couch next to Severus. The man hardly noticed him at first.

"Severus. We should go get lunch." Harry interrupted.

"Huh?" Severus asked. "Yeah sure."

The man was clearly distracted. Harry began hissing things at him that made Salazar pause and smirk.

"Young man that kind of language is unacceptable in my presence." Salazar intoned.

"I didn't say anything too inappropriate besides I'm hungry." Harry whined.

"Fine we'll go but I demand you take me here later." Severus said.

"Of course. I imagine I'll figure out a way for you to get here on your own so I don't have to escort you every time." Harry said as they were leaving.

"I imagine I would enjoy that immensely." Severus said. "Let's go to the great hall and eat lunch there."

"Sure. Do you mind if we try some of the tunnels out of here?"

"I am not against a little exploration." Severus conceded.

So Harry enjoyed exploring the tunnels they finally found an entrance that let out right near the Great Hall. They wandered laughing into the Great Hall and there seated was a man wearing shabby clothing and speaking with McGonagall. The man looked skinny and tired as if he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a long time. Snape leaned down and whispered in Harry's ear.

"That is Remus Lupin."

"Why is he dressed so poorly? Didn't you say he had a master in defense?" Harry whispered back carefully.

"People with his condition find it difficult to find success in the British wizarding society. They are discriminated against. They cannot own property, marry, or even work at most establishments."

"But they are only dangerous once every 28 days." Harry argued. "And not even then if they take a Wolfsbane potion. If they can't get jobs how are the expected to get the potion?"

"They aren't. The ministry has no reason to help someone they don't even consider human." Severus whispered seriously back.

Harry was furious. He stood stock still. The Dursely's had considered him less than human and it had hurt him deeply, it still did. Werewolves who did not choose that life were discriminated against by everyone. Lucius' Malfoy's words from a few days ago filtered into his head.

'It is the job of the head of house to pursue things that interest the house as a whole. You will be a political person with influence and power.'

Harry was going to change this. Even if he never became powerful enough to break the curse as the book described he would still fix this. He was famous, and stinking rich, he should be able to change the world right? He would have to ask Hermione for help. It was at this time that Remus turned around and looked at Severus and Harry.

Harry suddenly became very shy. What if the man didn't like him? What if he was expected someone just like his father and was disappointed with how weird Harry was? Would he tell him that he was a worthless freak too? Maybe he would tell him that his parents would've hated him for being so weird. As these thoughts crowded his minds he stepped back so that he was leaning in to Severus. He stiffened for a moment before placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry." He whispered. "The man is not going to hurt you."

"What if he doesn't like me?" Harry whispered back as the man began to trek across the room towards them.

"Don't worry about that. I hate everyone and you managed to get me to like you. You can get anyone to like you." Severus whispered back sarcastically.

Harry grinned up at his guardian and squared his shoulders. Mr. Remus Lupin was upon them. Harry put in his mask of Gryffindor certainty and stuck his hand out to the man.

"Hello. You must be Mr. Lupin the newest Defense instructor." Harry said with a shy smile. "I hope you are better than the last one."

"Mr. Potter. I can only assume that anyone could do better than poor stuttering Quirrel." Snape said with a sneer.

"Hey!" Harry sarcastically defended. "He wasn't too bad. I mean yeah he was possessed by Voldemort and tried to kill me three times but you can't hold that against him Professor."

Harry smiled when Severus snorted he turned back to the man who was staring at him.

"Oh I forgot to introduce myself." Harry said. "My name is Harry Potter."

This seemed to bring the man out of his stupor. He shook himself a little and then smiled at Harry.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well." Lupin said. "I doubt you remember this but I knew you quite well when you were a baby."

"Professor Snape told me that you were good friends with my dad." Harry offered.

"He did, did he?" Lupin asked getting a scared look on his face. "What else did he tell you?"

"Why don't we sit down? Harry and I have yet to have lunch." Severus interrupted.

Harry sat down next to Severus and across from Lupin. The man was studying him intently. Harry waited for the two men to serve themselves before getting himself some food. Once they had the food Harry grabbed onto his inner Gryffindor and started up again.

"Professor Snape has told me a lot of things about you." Harry said. "He told me that you had a masters in defense which is really cool. I don't know what I want to do with my life but I definitely think getting a masters in something would be pretty cool."

"I really enjoyed learning all there was about defensive and offensive magic." Lupin said excitedly. "I've spent the last six years studying it."

"That's pretty cool." Harry said honestly. "Professor Snape told me you and he didn't really get along in school. I believe the words he used were 'Insufferable prat and loud bully.'"

"Mr. Potter." Snape said sternly. "I said that about your father. Don't misquote me. I told you that Remus Lupin was an 'Incorrigible prat and a quiet bully'. I can't believe you would mix those up."

"I admit that Professor Snape and I didn't get along during our time in Hogwarts." Lupin said.

Snape snorted. That was an understatement. Black had nearly killed him. Harry kicked him lightly in the shins. Snape schooled his features to something more neutral and Harry smiled.

"Well have you grown up or are you still a bully?" Harry demanded.

"Your father and I grew up when we graduated. We joined the war effort young and we lost our immaturity quickly."

"Awesome. That was the only thing I was worried about. I don't want anyone making fun of my guardian." Harry said. "I mean I have to defend his honor after all." Then it was Severus' turn to kick him in the shins.

It was true. He had worried that if a childhood bully from Severus' past came to teach he would try and continue that kind of relationship. He didn't want the man doing anything like that. Harry could tell that Remus Lupin had no desire to be mean to anyone. He smiled a big smile and let himself be more open with the newest professor.

"Well that's not entirely true. Can I have your promise that if you are going to try killing me would you avoid doing it during quidditch games and do it after exams?"

Remus Lupin gave him a very strange look while Snape snorted.

"Quidditch team? But first years don't play. Why would I want to kill you?

"You didn't hear? I'm the youngest seeker in a century at Hogwarts. I'm something of a prodigy apparently." Harry said. "For the question about murder. Well there is always someone trying to kill me and I just don't want it to interfere with my studies."

"Who is trying to kill you?" Lupin demanded angrily his eyes taking on a golden tint to them.

"Let's see. Voldemort of course. Last year it was Professor Quirrel. He was being possessed by the Dark Pastry and under his orders tried to murder me. He nearly succeeded at the end of the year too. I really pissed of Voldemort's spirit so I imagine that he will try again soon enough." Harry said. "Then of course there are some bitter followers of his that probably wouldn't mind offing me. Am I missing anyone Professor?"

"No you have only made those enemies no new ones. Unless of course you anger Lupin here."

"I can be kind of annoying." Harry admitted. "Anyway Mr. Lupin the only thing I was worried was that you would be rude to Professor Snape. Anything else he told me is irrelevant and doesn't matter."

"Did he tell you about my illness?" Lupin asked.

"Your Lycanthropy? That is the correct term right?" Harry asked. "He did tell me but it doesn't bother me. I don't see why it should bother me."

"You don't mind?" He asked.

"Nope. Do you think I should be bothered? It's not like you choose to harm people or even chose to have your condition. Besides if my mother liked you then you must have had some good qualities."

"Your father liked me too."

"I don't remember my dad. I only remember my mum and how brave she was. I didn't even know what he looked like until a few weeks ago when Hagrid gave me some pictures."

"You didn't know what your father looked like?"

"My relatives did not like talking about my magical parents. They hated them and they hated me." Harry said angrily. "Professor Snape I'm going to go flying. Please tell Mr. Lupin a few things about my relatives. I trust you to know what to tell him."

Harry ran. Something about seeing a complete stranger be protective of him made him run. He missed the look of concern Severus showed. He ran to _his_ room and grabbed his broom. He ran outside quickly and began doing crazy stunts to try and clear his head. As he began to calm he felt exhausted. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the last few days and he had used a lot of magic that morning with Godric teaching him.

He looked around for a place to rest. He saw one of the roofs of the castle was rather flat and was currently being bathed in sunlight. He felt like a cat nap. He flew over and landed lightly on the roof. He summoned rocks from the ground and transfigured one into a blanket. And the other into a fluffy pillow he laid down and took a peaceful nap. Not noticing how easy that magic truly was.


	23. Dangerous Nap

**Chapter 23! Bodacious! It's a Remus chapter! We get to know more about him and if that's not exciting i don't know what is. I think out of all of them Remus is my favorite Marauder** **but that's just personal opinion. Review! Review! Review!**

Remus Lupin would admit to being extremely nervous. Last night Albus Dumbledore had flooed over to his tiny apartment. He had asked him to come teach for a year at Hogwarts. Him teach defense? It was what he had always wanted to do and Hogwarts was his home. Albus had then told him something chilling.

"I made a grave mistake 10 years ago. I cannot tell you all the details but suffice it to say Harry Potter is living at Hogwarts this summer and may be doing so indefinitely. Should you agree to work you will have the next two months to get to know him."

"Albus of course I'll come and work. Hogwarts has always been a home to me."

"Wonderful. I'll send a couple of house elves to move your things and you can move in tomorrow."

It was sudden but Remus didn't really mind his head was filled with thoughts of Harry. What would the boy be like? Would he be like James? Would he be like Lily? Would he even want anything to do with a shabby professor? He had felt his heart sink when he saw Harry enter with Severus Snape. It was clear they had a good trusting relationship which means Snape would've poisoned Harry against him.

Remus wouldn't put it past Severus to tell Harry that he was a werewolf just to make his life harder. When he began walking across the room to greet them the words Albus gave last night floated through his mind. Albus had made a grave mistake involving Harry which forced Harry to have to live here instead of elsewhere. He turned cold at the implications. He noticed that Harry had backed into Severus and looked frightened. Snape then whispered something he couldn't quite catch and the boy calmed.

They spoke for a while and Harry was nothing like he expected. He was an almost carbon copy of James except for the eyes. Lily's bright green eyes sparkled. Harry was witty, much like James was except he wasn't cruel about it. Harry was protective of those he cared about exactly like Lily was. Harry was accepting just like his parents were. Then suddenly he was gone and he was left with a pale and worried potions master.

"Listen Wolf." Snape said after a moment. "I suggested you work here so that you could be another person of support for Harry. The boy has been through too much. Dumbledore placed him in a home where he was beaten, starved and neglected. I had to save his life at the beginning of the summer when his uncle nearly murdered him."

"Murdered?" Remus asked feeling his wolf rise up within him.

"Yes. The boy nearly died and despite all my work he is still not up to a proper weight. He was starved for most of his life. He doesn't like to talk or even think about his relatives so only ask him about them if you want him to shut up and leave. I've been working for a month and have gotten very little of his story from him." Snape said. "If you want him to trust you it will take hard work. He wants to get to know you. You are a link to his father someone I have told him very little about."

"I could imagine why." Remus said. "Are his relatives facing charges or is the political climate not right for that yet?"

"We can't do it unless we wish to put Harry in danger. Right now Harry is still in their custody and there is little I can do about it."

"So he is living at Hogwarts in secret then?"

"Yes for all intents and purposes he spent the summer with his relatives and not under my care."

"Alright. He said he was going to go flying do you know when he will be back?"

"If he didn't lie to me and he actually went flying he will be back in time for dinner. If he is somewhere in the castle that I can't get to then he might not be back until the middle of the night." Snape admitted. "There are passages he's found that only he can open and close so if he is exploring those then we won't see him till he remembers to leave there."

"What do you mean only he can open?"

"Did Albus tell you my Dark Mark is gone?" Severus asked instead.

"It's gone? Like completely I thought that was supposed to be impossible."

"Harry got rid of my connection to the Dark Lord. He is a Parselmouth just like Voldemort was. Apparently Salazar Slytherin made passages all around the school that can only be opened with Parseltongue and Harry has been exploring them. I can't open them and neither can you."

"He's a Parselmouth? But how?"

"Harry is very secretive he knows where the ability came from but won't tell me. Not that it really matters. He is extremely powerful that boy. I only hope we can lead him on the right path. Be here for dinner and try and talk to Harry again. I imagine he will be more open to you then. If he isn't at dinner come by this evening to my quarters around 8. We generally have tea at that time."

"Why are you being so nice to me Severus?"

"If I am going to help Harry move on then I need to do the same. Holding onto past grudges from our school days will hinder his progress. I'm moving on."

With that Severus Snape stood and left the room. Remus shook his head. It was clear the man didn't like him but he was no longer angry. Albus had told him that Severus was the one to suggest him to work and now it made sense. Remus decided that he would try and catch a glimpse of Harry flying. He made his way onto the pitch and saw Harry flying like a demon. James only ever flew like that when he was stressed. He watched from a distance as Harry calmed down his flying and then landed on the roof.

That certain part of the roof was a favorite of James and Lily's when they started dating. They would go up there for a completely private date to eat and watch the sunset together. It seemed strange in a nice way that Harry would go there too. He began walking around trying to find a way to speak to Harry. How would he talk to him? Should he wait for Harry to come to him or should he go to Harry? After an hour of wandering around in the afternoon sun he decided to just throw away planning and be a Gryffindor about it.

He grabbed one of the school brooms and flew up to the roof. He had expected to see Harry sitting there not wrapped up in a warm blanket and sleeping. The kid flew up there to take a nap. Well now that he thought about it this napping spot was genius. No one would look for Harry here, the sun shone directly on it and it was completely private. Remus was impressed.

That was when the broom began to shake. Remus Lupin was awful on a broom. James had demanded that he be at least able to fly in a straight line and had spent hours coaching him but he had never had much skill in that area. That lack of skill was showing now. Apparently as he struggled Harry had woke up and was watching him with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Lupin would you like to land? There's room on the roof and I don't want you to fall and break your neck." Harry called out.

Lupin jumped at the voice but nodded and did his best to move forward. He landed on the roof clumsily. Harry was still seated so Remus sat down next to him.

"I was never very good on a broom. James and Sirius were better at flying and I was better at defense and potions."

"Severus said you guys were in a group?"

"Yes the Marauders. Your mother actually gave us the name. We had just pranked the entire school it was our second year and she was angry and called us a bunch marauding pirates. She meant it as an insult but we liked the name so we gave our group it as a name. We became the Marauders we each had nicknames." Remus said with a wan smile. "Can I tell you a secret you promise not to tell anyone?"

"I won't tell anyone." Harry promised his eyes shining.

"I taught your father and our friends to be animagus when they were in fifth year. It took us two years of hard work to figure it out."

"What were they?"

"Your father was a stag. We called him Prongs for his antlers. Sirius was a giant black dog we called him Padfoot, Peter was a rat and we called him Wormtail."

Remus had to admit that talking about Sirius and Peter was hard. Sirius' betrayal and Peter's murder still hurt his heart but that didn't change the memories. Harry wanted to know about his father and those two were involved. He couldn't just ignore them.

"What was your nickname?"

"Moony. Sirius suggested it and James made it stick."

"Moony, I like it." Harry said. "Why did you teach them?"

"Well when I would go to transform every full moon my friends worried about where I would go."

"I would too a friend disappearing every month? That's just weird."

"I would come back sick too. Since I transformed alone the wolf would go crazy and start hurting itself. I would spend the next day in the infirmary healing."

"You ran out of excuses eventually right?"

"Your father figured it out first actually." Remus said. "Your father was notorious for never doing his work but when he wanted to figure something out he became like a demon. He would go to library and rifle through every single book till he had an answer then he would stop. My behavior confused him enough that he started searching the library, he hated doing that. It took him a whole month of searching to get the right answer."

"What did he do then?" Harry asked in a quiet voice.

"It took him two weeks to confront me with his information." Remus said.

He could remember that moment as one of the scariest of his life. He had been eating lunch alone. Peter and Sirius were in trouble with Slughorn. James plopped down next to him with a grave look. One that didn't work well on his face.

"What's up James?"

"Remus. Just don't lie to me alright but are you a werewolf?"

The silence had been deafening. He dropped his fork, his face went pale and he started to shake. He merely nodded and then looked away not willing to see the look of disgust and hatred that would surely be there. After a moment when James clearly hadn't moved away he snuck a peak and save James was looking at him still.

"Remus. You're skinny enough as it is. Eat your lunch." James said pushing the plate over to him.

"Huh?"

"Eat. You look half starved."

James had just accepted it. It had not even been a problem. He asked for permission to tell Sirius and Peter and at the next full moon they were waiting in the hospital wing to spend the Saturday with him. On school days they would come together during their breaks and meal times to be with him. All three of them accepted him and gave him hope.

"Your father just straight up asked me and when I told him he just shrugged and told me to eat my pudding." Remus told Harry.

"Why did he wait so long to ask you if he didn't mind?"  
"I think he was worried about hurting my feelings. Werewolves are often treated like scum and if he asked me in the wrong way he might've ruined our friendship."

"So why did you help them become animagus?"

"Well once all three of them discovered my problem they wanted to do everything they could. As a werewolf I want to do something hunt or play or anything really. In their animal forms they could play with me and keep me from hurting myself through the night."

"That was really cool of them. Do you have anyone to do that with you now?"

"No Harry I don't."

"Well then I will." Harry offered. "It will probably take me awhile to get it down but I can certainly keep you company."

"That's too dangerous Harry. I could hurt you."

"Not if you drink your Wolfsbane that Severus is going to brew for you."

"Yes but even with that I am still very strong. I wouldn't want to hurt you. Promise me you won't try and keep me company during the full moon."

While Remus was touched that Harry cared about him but he would not risk the son of his best friend. When Harry nodded he gave a sigh of relief. Harry looked out at the sky and took in a deep breath.

"Did my parents love each other?" He whispered out.

"What? Of course they did? James had a crush on your mother since his third year! He spent most of his time at Hogwarts trying to impress her. Your mother admitted to me that she had liked James since our fourth year but thought he was too immature. Once he grew up a little they started dating. I've never seen two people happier with each other than those two."

"He liked her for that long?"

"Your father was a sucker for red heads." Remus said with a smile.

So for the next two hours Remus sat on the roof with Harry Potter and told him stories about his parents. From the awful event of their first date to how every Hogsmeade weekend James would ask Lily out and she would turn him down flat. How James wrote her love poetry but couldn't rhyme to save his life. They both laughed and giggled about the stories. Normally those memories would sadden Remus but sharing them with Harry seemed to make it better instead of worse.

After that Harry started telling stories about his first year of Hogwarts. The troll incident, how he made the quidditch team without even trying out, his two best friends and finally the stress over the philosophers stone.

"I never told anyone what happened down there between me and Quirrel." He admitted quietly.

"You don't have to." Remus said.

"Do you promise not to tell anyone ever? You can't tell Dumbledore or Severus."

"I won't tell a soul." Remus swore.

"We were beneath the school. We had gotten past the first three tasks without a problem then we got to McGonagall's task. A chess game. Ron is a whiz at chess. He led us to victory but at the cost of himself. He was thrown down and I thought he might be dead. We finished the game and moved Ron to someplace safe. Hermione and I continued on. The last task was Snape's he had a table with a bunch of potion vials and a riddle. Hermione solved it quickly enough but there was only enough for one person to continue. So Hermione drank the potion to go back and take care of Ron and I continued forward."

Remus sat there and tried to imagine what that must have felt like. He wouldn't have been so brave or foolhardy at 11. He doubted he would've been able to solve a riddle like that. Harry continued after a moment.

"I walked in expecting to see Severus inside. We had thought it was him trying to steal the stone. Except it wasn't him instead it was Quirrel. The man who seemed afraid of his own shadow. He saw me quickly and bound me in a spell so I couldn't move. He started talking about how frustrated he was that he couldn't kill me that I always managed to escape him. He then turned back to the mirror. The Mirror of Erised shows you what you want most and Quirrel wanted the stone. Dumbledore had spelled the mirror to only let the stone out if you wanted the stone but didn't want to use it."

"That's a pretty good protection." Remus said.

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "Quirrel summoned me in front of the mirror and I saw myself in the mirror put the stone in my pocket. Then suddenly it was there in my pocket. Quirrel asked what I saw I lied and said I saw my parents Voldemort saw right through it though. Instead of forcing me though he made Quirrel take off his turban. On the back of his head was Voldemort's head. It was horrifying and disgusting."

Harry shivered for a moment as he recalled the moment he saw Voldemort's face. Remus tried not to puke at the idea of seeing someone possessed. Harry continued after a moment.

"This is the part where it gets bad. Voldemort gave me a choice give him the stone and he would give me everything I wanted. He didn't promise to bring back my parents. He didn't promise power. He only promised to make sure I never had to return to my relatives again. I wanted that so badly I was willing to give up the stone and allow Voldemort to return so I could be safe from them. I reached into my pocket and was going to give it to him until something pulled me out of it. A voice telling me that I shouldn't. I told him no and he got really angry and made Quirrel attack me. We fought and I started hitting him I was so scared. Everywhere I hit him his skin started to burn. I hit him until he was nothing but dust." Harry said his voice getting weaker as the story went on. "I'm a murderer. I was also willing to let my friends die for something so trivial. I almost gave him the stone."

"Harry. Are you feeling guilty about almost giving him the stone or killing Quirrel?" Remus asked.

"Both."

"Harry. The stone part well you shouldn't feel guilty at all. Voldemort had a special mind magic that he mixed with his speaking voice. He could convince anyone to do anything at the height of his power if they weren't a practiced occulmens. The fact that you fought off his persuasion should be commended. Besides he offered you something that no one could blame you for wanting."

"Really? He could do that?"

"Yes Harry he convinced many people to do his will by speech alone. You have a strong mind to resist him."

Harry seemed to collapse in relief and Remus smiled. He couldn't imagine the amount of guilt the boy had been carrying around. Remus reached his hand a patted the boy on his back. Harry stiffened for a moment before leaning into the touch.

"About the other part the part where you killed Quirrel." Remus said. "You were defending yourself against the man who had tried to kill you. Quirrel would've died very soon since he allowed himself to be possessed. Voldemort has killed so many people. Anything you do to hurt him is pretty much completely justified. I know it doesn't feel right but I had to go through a very similar thing when I got bitten by a werewolf."

"What do you mean?"

"I felt guilty for surviving. Doing what was necessary to survive the attack." Lupin said. "I did everything I could to survive despite the fact that it would mean I would be cursed for life. I didn't understand that as a four year old but when I grew older I felt so guilty for surviving when my sister did not. I learned something though."

"What?"

"Never feel guilty for surviving. Promise me Harry that you will never feel guilty for surviving."

Harry stared at him his green eyes looking so deep that they didn't fit on a child's face. He was searching Remus for something but Remus couldn't be sure what. Finally Harry nodded.

"Thanks Mr. Lupin." Harry said. "I don't think Severus could've helped me with this. There are some things I know he will understand but I wasn't so sure about this."

"I'm sure Severus could've helped you." Remus said.

"No. Severus wouldn't have understood the guilt. You understood."

"Alright Harry." Remus said not quite sure what to make of that statement.

"Mr. Lupin." Harry began again.

"Harry would you at least until the school year starts call me Remus? When you were a baby you called me Moony but I think Remus is a good place to start."

"Alright Remus. I was going to say that it is nearly dinner time. I was going to offer to fly you down to the doors so you wouldn't crash."

Remus smiled at the offer. It was true he would probably crash he just wasn't very good at flying.

"I would like that Harry."

So Harry left the blankets on the roof and flew Remus down to the front doors while Remus held the school broom he had used. When they landed Remus smiled. Harry told him he would see him at dinner. Remus felt like he had accomplished a lot that day. Harry trusted him even if just a little. Harry might even come seek him out the next time.


	24. The Letter

**Chapter 24! Fantastic! Don't think i forgot about Ron and Hermione it's almost their time to shine!**

Harry thoughts were whirling. As Remus had told him about his parents he took in that information excitedly but his mind was elsewhere. He was rich. He could help people like Remus. He could do so much with this high amount of influence, he just needed to figure out how. He would need Hermione's and Ron's help. Ron with strategy and Hermione with knowledge of the laws. He looked at the time and knew he had time to write out the letters before dinner. He went into his room and pulled out two pieces of parchment he hadn't written to his friends yet because he had been scared too but now was not the time to be afraid.

 _Dear Ron and Hermione,_

 _I'm writing you both the same letter because I don't know if I can write this more than once. I haven't written you back this first month because I've been scared to. The first thing you should know is that I am fine and safe. I am at Hogwarts and have been since the end of the school year. I went back to my relative's house. Uncle Vernon was angry I mean really furious. When Uncle Vernon gets mad he hits. I complained to you guys only a little about my relatives but they were not kind people. I was scared to write to you guys because I didn't want you to know I was abused._

 _Hermione you are probably gasping and hurt. Ron you're probably angry. Please work through that. It's hard for me to talk about what happened there. I just need to tell you all this so you understand. Uncle Vernon beat me until I nearly died that night. Hedwig made me write for help. She flew away and I fell unconscious. When I woke up I was sore but healing. Apparently the first person Hedwig could find was Professor Snape. He came to my house and got me out of there. He spent hours healing me and fixing me up._

 _I know you guys probably feel really sorry for me but it wasn't so bad. Snape was actually pretty great. He didn't make fun of me or even tell me I was in the wrong. He has been helping me a lot. Dumbledore put me in Snape's care and I've been living in his quarters ever since. I want you guys to be more respectful of Snape he has been a really good guardian. He bought me clothing so I wouldn't have to wear the rags the Dursely's made me wear. He has been really patient._

 _I've been spending the last few weeks studying in the library and exploring the castle. I've discovered some really cool stuff. Firstly I am a Parselmouth. For Hermione if you haven't read about it that means I can talk to snakes. It has pretty bad reputation cause Voldemort and some other Dark wizards had the same gift too. However in other countries like India Parselmouths are seen as gifted healers._

 _I've been searching the library for more information but there wasn't really all that much on it. So I started researching Salazar Slytherin, he was a Parselmouth too. Ron I promise when we meet again I won't be a huge bookworm I have just had nothing else to do but read for the past three weeks. Hermione I promise I will work harder on my studies our second year, I might even give you a run for your money. I discovered a lot of information on the chamber of secrets which is a fabled place in the school that Slytherin left with a monster inside so that when he returned he could take over the school._

 _I figured that maybe Salazar Slytherin might've left more than just a monster in the chamber maybe he would've left books in there about Parseltongue and Parselmagic, which is magic you can do if you are a Parselmouth. I interviewed some ghosts and found the entrance. The Chamber of Secrets is really cool. I don't want to put too much down in here but I think you guys would like it a lot._

 _I've learned a lot more about myself these past few weeks. I want to tell you guys everything in person. I am doing okay. I am healing and becoming more grounded. Write me back soon at Hogwarts if I don't hear from you I'll find a way to your house and bang on your door. I miss you guys._

 _-Your friend Harry Potter._

He still had time so he went up to the Owlery. He gave the letter meant for Ron to Hedwig and another to a school owl. They flew off and he made his way to dinner. He was nervous. What if his friends thought he was weak and then didn't want anything to do with him? What if Hermione started pitying him or babying him? He worriedly walked into dinner where the rest of the staff was seated. He nodded at the group as he sat down next to Severus still full of worried thoughts. He missed the worried look Severus threw him.

Dinner commenced and Harry took his food last and ate distractedly. There was just so much on his mind. How could he help people with Lycanthropy? Could he use his political power to ensure equality or was he powerful enough to cure the disease? Would it be beneficial to do both? How would Ron and Hermione react to his letter? How did one go about building a staff? What kind of wood did one use? Would any tree work? What about cores? He really needed to get that book from Salazar's library and study it.

Harry was only broken out of his stupor when Dumbledore said his name.

"Harry." Dumbledore said. "Has a magical core that is quite large. If he isn't given opportunity to use a lot of magic everyday his magic will escape in forms of accidental magic. It is a sign of a truly powerful wizard and we are lucky Harry is here to get training to learn control. I would ask some of you to volunteer some time out of you day to give Harry lessons so that he might use his magic."

"I do not mind giving him some transfiguration lessons. Those can be quite strenuous." McGonagall said.

"If Harry is willing I could train him in dueling tactics." Flitwick added. "Those can be beneficial and since he seems to get into trouble quite often the knowledge in defense is another bonus."

"I could teach him a few healing spells. Those require quite a bit of power." Poppy said.

Harry smiled at the three teachers who had offered. They set up a schedule so that he would see each of them once a day for an hour each. It would start tomorrow. Once that was figured out Harry went back into his thoughts until he was brought back out again by Dumbledore.

"Harry." He asked. "How is your wand doing?"

"It's alright sir. It feels funny to use it now. It gets warm and shakes a little when I use it for a complex spell."

"Well Harry if it gets to the point where it burns your hand then come to me and I will talk to you about getting yourself a new wand. When I was 14 I made my first wand explode by putting too much power behind a spell. When your core gets as full as ours does you need a special wand to handle the increase in power."

"Oh. I'll let you know sir. Where do you get a special wand?"

"Well normally you make it yourself. I got mine in a duel but I would prefer if you didn't duel me to get my wand quite yet." He said with a smile.

"Oh. How do you make a wand?"

Harrys mind wandered as Dumbledore waxed old about wand making. No doubt he could ask for another explanation later. That conversation went down to the end of dinner and Harry blindly followed Severus down to their rooms. He sat down on the couch his mind still filled with worries. What if his friends rejected him? He barely noticed when Severus sat down next to him.

"Harry what's on your mind?" He asked. "You were distracted all throughout dinner."

Harry jumped a little, startled at being pulled out of his caustic thought pattern. He shook himself and tried to concentrate.

"I wrote a letter to Ron and Hermione today."


	25. Granger Danger

**Chapter 25! Perfection! It's Hermione's time to shine and i think you will all agree it is about time. I hope you enjoy this chapter for it's almost the last one. Review before i whither away.**

Hermione had received her letter first. She had read it with tears in her eyes and with shaking hands. All of those odd things she had noticed about her friend were coming up and glaring at her. Why hadn't she noticed? Wasn't it strange Harry was glad not to go home for Christmas? Wasn't it strange that whenever he was injured he would always shrug and say 'I've had worse.'? An overwhelming feeling of guilt was filling her. Harry was even afraid. It took her a moment to figure out why.

He was afraid of their rejection. If they thought he was weak and rejected him it would kill him. She could imagine Harry now sitting biting his bottom lip and worrying about what their responses would be. Her family had just gotten back from a trip and her parents were resting. She looked at the clock. 5pm. She could get to Hogwarts right? One of the many pamphlets she read had spoken of Wizarding Travel. Floo was not an option since her parent's fireplace wasn't connected, She had no adult to apparate her and no portkey. There was just one other option.

The Knight Bus. It would cost some of her wizarding money but it was more important to help Harry understand that she thought he was brave and strong than saving up for books. She began calculating out how much she would need to go to the Burrow, pick up Ron and then go straight to Hogwarts. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a note to her parents.

 _Dear Mom and Dad._

 _I know you'll be furious when you read this and realize I've gone out without your permission but I promise it was really important and it just couldn't wait. You know my friend Harry Potter? I just got a letter from him. He was really scared and I need to tell him it is going to be okay. His uncle nearly killed him and has abused him for all his life apparently. I just found out in the letter I just got from him. Harry is out of that house and at Hogwarts under the care of a professor. Harry was scared to tell me, he didn't want me to think he was weak and then reject him._

 _A letter wouldn't be enough Harry doesn't believe anything he reads he only believes actions and he is going to be worrying about this until he sees me and I give him a big hug and promise him I don't think he is weak. I left to go to Hogwarts I should be back pretty late you can punish me when I return._

 _Your Daughter._

 _-Hermione_

After placing the note on the kitchen table she got a backpack that had her wand and other wizarding basics inside. She didn't bother putting on robes and just walked outside and waved her wand around. Within moments a purple bus appeared.

"Hello Welcome to the Night Bus. My name is Stan Shuntpike."

"Hello. I would like first a ride to the Burrow, the Weasley's residence and then a ride for two to Hogwarts."

"We can take you to the town near Hogwarts and then its about a ten minute walk up to the castle." Stan said.

"That should be fine."

"Alright. That'll be 15 sickles and 3 knuts for the whole journey."

Hermione pulled out the money and paid for it. She sighed she could've bought a book with that money, maybe even two. No this was more important. She had barely sat down when the bus had rushed off. Hermione would admit to being scared while riding a broom and terrified of the whole philosophers stone incident but she had never been more afraid of magic than when she was riding that bus. The driver obviously had no concern with not getting everyone killed and Hermione just held on tightly hitting her head a few times during the ride.

After what seemed like a terrifying journey that lasted an eternity they stopped outside Ron's house. She shakily got up.

"I'll be right back just wait here for me please."

"Alright miss. We'll wait." Stan promised.

Hermione jumped off the bus and tried to get back a sense of direction as she walked up the hill that held a crazy looking house. She saw a makeshift Quidditch pitch in the backyard. Now how to get Ron out of there? She saw the twins and she called out to them.

"Fred, George! Come here."

"What are you-"

"Doing here Hermione?"

"I need to speak with Ron it is urgent could you get him please."

"Sure." Fred said.

They both ran off. Not wanting to argue with the bookworm who looked liked someone had died. In a few minutes Ron came out holding a letter identical to Hermione's own. He had a pale face but his eyes were full of anger. He marched up to Hermione.

"Who would do this to Harry?" He demanded. "Why didn't I notice?"  
"Ron. His uncle did this and his uncle is a despicable human being. I didn't notice anything was off either. I came here to bring you to Hogwarts with me."

"Why do we need to go to Hogwarts?"

"To comfort Harry! We both know how insecure he is. He is probably biting his lip and worrying about our responses now." Hermione explained. "He won't believe anything we write. We need to show him."

Ron stared at Hermione a moment before nodding.

"Alright how are we going to get there?" He asked knowing if anyone had a plan it would be her.

"I have the Knight Bus waiting for us. Get your wand and let's go. Don't waste any time, the sooner we see Harry the sooner we can get back."

"I'll get the twins to distract mum for me." Ron said. "Do you think we should tell anyone else what was in this letter?"

"No if the media got a hold of it then it would be all over the daily prophet tomorrow." Hermione said. "Harry wouldn't want that."

Ron nodded and ran back into his house. How he got his wand and convinced the twins to cover for him was beyond Hermione but at 6:34 pm they both climbed onto the Knight Bus and took another harrowing trip. This one was much longer. During the time when things were slightly less terrifying Ron pulled out a piece of parchment.

"Hermione. When I told the twins that Harry was somewhere in Hogwarts but I wasn't sure where they gave me this. It's a map of the whole school and it shows where everyone is. It won't work until we are at Hogwarts though." Ron said.

"Excellent. I wasn't looking forward to roaming the dungeons looking for Harry.

Ron's whose face was a little green merely nodded. The whole ride lasted about an hour and both children were very glad to be off of the bus once they got there. There was in fact a town called Hogsmeade near Hogwarts. Ron pulled out the map and said the phrase George and Fred had taught him.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He said with a wave of his wand.

Hogsmeade appeared and it showed quite a few secret passageways back to the castle. They were near the shrieking shack but no one wanted to be let out near the whomping willow. There was another one that led from the basement of Honeydukes to the school. Ron had heard about that store it was apparently the best candy store in the world according to his older brothers.

The store was still open when they got there. Magically they were able to sneak into the back room and down into the basement without being seen. Then they found the opening with a little difficulty. Both knew that they couldn't use magic so they walked in the tunnel close together in the darkness. After what seemed like a slimy eternity they came out behind a statue into the familiar halls of Hogwarts.

Hermione checked her watch it was 7:49 pm. Harry should be in his room by now right? They checked the map. It showed Harry and Severus Snape together in the same room in the dungeons. They began the trek down there trying to avoid being seen by any faculty it would hardly do to be sent home before they had a chance to even see Harry. This of course required them to hide in classrooms whenever they thought they heard something. It took them ten minutes to get down there. They stood outside the door and Ron hide the map in his back pocket.

"So what do we do now Hermione?" Ron asked.

"We could just knock and ask to see Harry." She suggested.

"Won't he ask how we got there, take a thousand points and then just firecall our parents?" He demanded.

"Well then we could trick him." Hermione said. "It would be pretty bad but if we are quick we will at least have a minute or so to tell Harry that everything will be fine."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Knock when he opens the door just rush in. Run right into him so he falls down it will give us enough time to see Harry at least."

"Sounds good."

So they knocked on the door and waited. The moment the door opened to reveal the confused face of Severus Snape the two children charged. They ran straight into the room knocking Snape onto his bottom and saw Harry sitting on the couch.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted.

"Hermione? Ron?" Harry asked confusedly. "How did you guys get here?"

"Never mind that we got your letter." Hermione said. "Harry I am so sorry."

With that sentence she dive bombed and caught Harry in a hug. Harry stiffened a moment before returning it. Ron moved over and joined in the hug too. Hermione seemed to have the right idea.

"Harry. Are your really so stupid as to think we would abandon you over this?" She demanded. "We are much better friends than that."

"Yeah mate. Besides it wasn't your fault anyway." Ron added.

Hermione finally let go when Snape came into the room and glared at them. Hermione trembled a little under the stern glare of the potions professor. The man had been very cruel. He looked at them until his eyes finally rested on Harry. The glare ended suddenly and the man sighed.

"Harry when I told you I really couldn't handle any more surprises from you. That did include your friends barreling uninvited into my quarters pushing me into the ground in the process." He said.

Ron and Hermione were stunned. Where was the anger and rage? The man normally would've been spitting fire at them by now. Instead he just looked _amused_? Harry smiled at the man.

"Well it was a surprise for me to Severus. I hardly expected them to come all the way here." Harry said.

"Very well. I suppose I can't complain if we are both surprised." Snape said. "I suppose that will just be 200 hundred points from Gryffindor and a summer's worth of detentions then."

Ron's jaw dropped. The school year had not even started and they were already in the hole 200 points. Hermione felt equally disappointed until she looked up and saw that Snape and Harry were both smiling. Then it hit her. Severus Snape resident grumpy bat was joking. She elbowed Ron and whispered.

"He's joking."

Ron just blinked. He looked over at Harry who just nodded at him. Snape merely rolled his eyes and motioned for them to sit down.

"I am going to get some tea for all of us when I return I expect you to be seated and ready to tell me why you trekked all the way to Hogwarts." Snape said.

So the three friends sat down on the couch one on each side of Harry. When Snape left they turned back to him

"Are you sure you are okay Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes Mione. I was healed a couple of weeks ago."

"Just because your body is better doesn't mean you are." She pushed.

"Yeah. Are you having many nightmares?" Ron pushed.

"Nightmares?" Hermione squeaked.

"Yeah I get them sometimes but the past few times Severus has woken me up and helped me out."

"That's great mate." Ron said. "Hermione, Harry's nightmares could get pretty bad. He woke me up one night accidentally. He told me that they weren't a huge deal but I noticed he had them pretty often. I'm glad there someone who can wake you up from them. Every time I tried you would hit me."

"You tried to wake me up?" Harry asked amazed.

"Yeah! No one should have to sleep through those kinds of nightmares. I could never figure out what they were about but they looked terrible." Ron said.

"Harry." Hermione said. "Were they about your uncle?"

"Yeah. Sometimes it would be other things but usually they would be about my relatives." Harry admitted quietly.

"Ron! Why didn't you get an adult when you saw that Harry was having a huge nightmare?" Hermione demanded.

Before Harry could open his mouth to argue Ron came to his defense.

"That would've been really embarrassing! No one but me and Harry knew about them and he told me it was fine. If I told an adult then the whole school would find out and then everyone would make fun of him."

"As enjoyable as this conversation is I do believe you two owe me an explanation." Snape said.

Both runaways jumped a little at the sound of his voice. Snape sat down and motioned for them to take whatever they wanted from the refreshments. Ron hardly the kind of boy to ever turn down free food grabbed a few biscuits while Hermione composed herself.

"Well sir we both received Harry's letter. I had just returned from a vacation and my parents were resting. I knew a letter wouldn't ease Harry's worries at all. He doesn't believe anything he reads. I had read all about wizarding travel and the only way I could use was that horrible Knight Bus. I nearly died." Hermione said. "I picked up Ron and we came here and then made our way down here to talk to Harry."

"Do either of your parents know you are here?" Snape asked.

"No sir." Ron cut in. "Hermione left a note for her parents and I convinced my brothers to distract mum until I could get back."

Hermione sat still as Snape sighed. The men placed a hand on the bridge of his nose and looked honestly confused about how to proceed. Harry spoke up.

"Well. It's pretty late now. I know Ron could get back to his house really easily but Hermione can't use the floo." Harry began. "If you send them away in a huff they'll just sneak back to make sure I'm okay too. I think it would be better if they just stayed the night. I mean you wouldn't want Hermione to ride the Knight Bus all by herself would you? I mean you can't apparate her home since you've never been there before."

Hermione opened her mouth in shock. No one spoke to Professor Snape like that. Ron choked on air in his surprise. Instead of a verbal tongue lashing however the man looked thoughtful. Finally the man came to a decision.

"Very well but they are staying in your room and I don't want to hear a peep from you all night. Is that clear?"

"Yes Severus."

Hermione squeaked in fear. Harry was doing things that were basically a death sentence. Instead the man did nothing and merely called out a name. Then the strangest creature appeared. It had large floppy ears and giant eyes.

"Klangly. We have two unexpected visitors for Harry. I need two beds to be set up and for some clean sets of pajamas and toothbrushes to be brought up into Harry's room."

"Yes sir."

The creature popped out of existence and Hermione turned wide eyed to her friends. She grabbed Harry's hand to get her attention.

"Harry what was that?"

"It's a house elf, his name is Klangly. House elves like him work at Hogwarts and keep everything running. You didn't think the teachers cooked the food did you?" Harry said.

Hermione frustrated that she had never read about those creatures before shook herself. She questioned her friends quickly about them and learned some things she didn't agree with.

"Harry how can you support what is practically slavery?" Hermione demanded angrily.

"Hermione." Harry said calmly. "Do you think House Elves are stupid or unintelligent?"

"No." She said.

"So you think they are smart enough to make the decisions that work best for them?"

"Yes." She agreed slower this time almost unsure with where this was going.

"So if House Elves are intelligent and can make decisions that work best for them then they must get something out of it. Or else there would've been a house elf rebellion somewhere in wizarding history."

"What could they possibly get out of that kind of an arrangement?"

"Magic. Hermione. Magic." Harry said. "House elves who are not bound to a master have very little magic but those that are can do incredibly impossible things. The elves here can apparate within Hogwarts which is something no wizard alive can do. House Elves are capable of such amazing magic but only when they are bound to a wizard."

"But what if they are mistreated?" Hermione demanded.

"That happens a lot more often than it should and because House Elves are considered magical creatures instead of citizens then they have no one to turn to. There are problems with the system but the House Elves are happy with it for the most part. They like helping wizards and they like being able to use their magic to its fullest extent. I don't think you should try and stop them." Harry said.

The conversation continued on for a while before Hermione had to agree with Harry that the House Elves ultimately benefitted from the arrangement. They weren't slaves they were workers who were paid in power instead of money. Workers who loved their job. After that Ron steered the conversation into quidditch and Hermione tuned it out. She jumped when the Professor spoke to her.

"Not a fan of quidditch?" He asked.

"Not really. I think it's all a big waste of time. I mean why waste your time flying on a broom when you could be studying magic?" Hermione answered with a sigh.

"Hermione, you're just jealous that you can't fly more than a few feet in any direction without falling off." Ron said.

Hermione blushed and stuttered wildly about to defend herself when Harry came to her rescue.

"Now you know that isn't true Ron." Harry lightly scolded. "I saw Hermione go forward ten feet before falling off one time."

So much for rescue. Ron was now laughing openly at Hermione's beat red face. Harry was merely giggling though. He calmed down quickly enough and sobered at the hurt look on his friend's face.

"Sorry. Hermione. I know how much you hate it when we make fun of you but I can hardly help it." He said looking contrite. "You are like good at everything. It's only right that you be bad at something."

Hermione blushed wildly at the compliment feeling it extremely unfair that her friends were always able to embarrass her so. Luckily or unluckily Snape decided to intervene at that moment.

"As enjoyable as this evening has been I do believe you all must be heading off to bed." Snape said.

"Of course Professor."

Hermione dragged her friends off the couch by their ears. Harry yelped in pain and rubbed his ear with a glare. Hermione motioned for him to lead the way to his room. On the way out trying to get revenge she glanced at the potions professor and gave a light smile.

"Harry. I'm not good at everything and you know it. There is one subject in school that without your help I would be completely lost."

The message she sent was clear, at least she hoped it was. Harry is good at potions.

"Hermione you're not hopeless at that subject. I'm sure you and Ron could manage well enough in that class without me."

At that point he pushed her and Ron into his room. Which looked very clean and bright and nice. There were two cots one on either side of the bed and on each cot were the things they needed to get ready for sleep. Hermione used the bathroom first and then Ron and then finally Harry. When they were all seated on the bed again Hermione began her crusade.

"Harry. I am awful at potions the only reason I don't melt as many cauldrons as Neville is because I have you to walk me through each step right before class. I ask you for help with all of my assignments and it's been torture trying to write the summer one without you." Hermione pushed. "I don't have any kind of flair or intuitive knowledge about the subject like you do."

"I have to agree with her mate. You are really good at potions just not in class." Ron says. "I never got that. You're really smart outside of class but you play dumb with all the teachers."

"Harry, why do you do that?" Hermione asked surprised that Ron had noticed too.


	26. Pillow Talk

**Chapter 26! Ludicrous! We've just two more chapters till the end. I hope you like it. This was one of the most enjoyable chapters to read and write!**

Snape had seen the look Hermione had given him and was honestly interested. She had been trying to tell him something Harry wouldn't want him to know. It was about one class that Harry was particularly gifted in. One in which she apparently struggled. Snape thought back to that day when he had tricked Harry into brewing for him. He hadn't been able to see the boy work and had only seen the end results of his efforts. The boy had successfully brewed those potions but Snape hadn't had time to truly consider what that meant.

After a few moments Snape stood and glided silently down the hallway. The door to Harry's room slightly ajar and all three were in their pajamas on separate beds. He listened in awe as Hermione revealed that any success she had in Potions came from plying Harry with questions. Then the question. "Why do you do that Harry?"

Snape was curious as to the answer himself. Harry had given him an answer to the question a while ago. He knew Harry had hidden out of fear from Voldemort and his uncle. He was curious because he wanted to know what Harry would tell his friends. Snape listened silently as Harry sighed and fell back onto the bed.

"You guys read the letter right? That my uncle wasn't the nicest person?" Harry asked.

After a moment of silence Harry continued Snape could only imagine that his friends had nodded.

"Well Vernon hit me for a lot of different reasons. He hated it when I would do any kind of accidental magic. He called it freaky stuff and normally I wouldn't eat for a long time after that. One of my relatives' favorite punishments is locking me away and depriving me of food." Harry said ignoring the gasps of his friends. "Another thing he hated is when I would do better than his son Dudley."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well when we were little it meant that I couldn't be potty trained until Dudley had learned. Dudley is very stupid and I had to pace myself alongside him if I didn't want to get hit. When we got into muggle primary we were in all the same classes." Harry explained. "If I got a better grade on any assignment than Dudley did then Vernon would punish me. First he would go down to the school and explained that I cheated to get that grade and then he would take me home and hit me a lot."

Snape heard the sounds of movement and guessed that the two friends were moving towards Harry. He snuck a quick peek and saw them all on Harry's bed giving him one armed hugs. Good, at least they aren't complete idiots.

"I learned really quickly not to do well in school but I didn't want to be stupid you know? I still wanted to learn. So I started doing all of my work twice. The first time I would do it the best I could and the second assignment I would fill with a lot of mistakes. I turned the second one in so that I wouldn't get in trouble." Harry explained quietly not at all proud of it. "When I came to Hogwarts I couldn't make myself succeed anymore. I was scared. What if I did well enough that Vernon found out? I was afraid that if I did well enough that I got top marks then I would come home and Vernon would know so I didn't I made myself do poorly."

"Oh Harry! I'm so sorry!" Hermione said. "All this time I was pushing you to do work because I thought you were lazy."

"Hermione. I don't blame you." Harry said with a sigh. "I like it when you bother me with this stuff. I never had a mom, or a sister, or even a friend to do that before. You guys are the first. Don't ever think you are bothering me."

"Mate. Do you mean to tell me that you do every single assignment twice?" Ron asked flabbergasted.

Snape could feel the others roll their eyes. He decided that was all the useful information he could get for the night and he went to bed. He knew full well those three 11 year olds were going to stay up late into the night talking but he couldn't really bring himself to care. Harry had basically pointed out that Snape could either traipse around Britain in the middle of the night trying to take Granger home or she could stay the night. Snape had made the obvious jump that if one stayed then the other would have to stay as well. Honestly the boy was too good at manipulating him for it to be natural.

Snape ignored the voice in his head that told him he had only agreed because he cared for Harry. The only other child who could do this to him was Draco and the boy hardly ever tried. Snape wondered how Lucius' wife had taken the news of his freedom. She had probably been overcome with joy. Those two were both half veela and they loved each other from the very depths of their soul. She probably felt it when the mark was removed since their bond was so strong.

That train of thought reminded Snape that Draco's birthday was just two days from now. Tomorrow the clothing he had ordered for Harry would arrive and he would begin training with the professors to keep his magic levels at a controllable level. The next day would have them preparing for Draco's party and then attending said party. Severus didn't know the moment when his summer became so busy. Under normal circumstances this would've bothered him. He had had so little time to brew potions, important things that the school needed. Despite this he found he did not mind.

Perhaps being busy was not such a terrible thing. The next morning Snape found himself outside Harry's room. He knocked lightly and opened to reveal that all three had fallen asleep on Harry's bed. Granger at the top on top of the pillows, Harry in the middle curled in the fetal position and finally the Weasley boy stretched out his legs on top of Harry.

"Wake up." Snape said loud enough for Harry to do exactly that.

The boy shot straight up and upset the Weasley boy. The red head fell off the bed with a shout and Granger shot up her hair as puffy as a lions mane. Harry's face as red as a beet and Ron was complaining loudly.

"Harry! Next time don't push me off the bed!" Ron said rubbing his head.

"It's not my fault I get startled easy in the morning." Harry complained throwing a pillow at Ron's head.

Snape who knew well what would happen next rolled his eyes and took two steps back. Ron picked up the pillow and threw it hard in Harry's direction. Harry ducked and the pillow hit Hermione dead in the face. The pillow flopped down and revealed Hermione's stunned face. She quickly recovered however and threw the pillow back at Ron. Who in turn grabbed a pillow from the cot he was supposed to sleep in and threw it at Harry.

Harry not wanting to get hit waved his hand and produced a fifth year shield charm. The pillow bounced off of him and with the extra power from the shield ricocheted quickly directly onto Severus Snape. _Damn didn't take enough steps back._ The pillow slid to the ground making a thump when it hit. The room was deathly silent and all three children stared at him with wide eyes.

It was not well known but if the Slytherins ever started a pillow fight of any kind within the common room Severus Snape was usually there throwing pillows at random students but never getting hit himself. This was the first time he had ever been struck in over 6 years. Snape merely rolled his eyes and let his wand slide out of the holster. He levitated the pillow up and threw it hard at Harry who flew back onto the bed from the hit.

"Oh it is on." Harry said beneath the pillow. "Klangly! I need pillows pronto!"

There were numerous pops and suddenly Snape's quarters were filled with pillows. That was the moment that Snape knew he had once again been outmaneuvered by a Gryffindor. This time he wasn't as bothered. He was already in a position to defend himself. He walked out of the door and headed to the living room to prepare. He could hear Harry preparing his team.

"You guys remember the spell Fred and George taught us?" Harry asked. "Great. I improved it, here's how it's better."

"Harry that's brill!"

"Fred and George will be so jealous."

"Yeah well get the pillows ready. Severus won't know what hit him."

Severus tried to convince himself that there was no really to be bothered. Those Weasley twins weren't so bad.

"Now remember once we get out there it is free for all." Harry said.

"Of course Harry. Ever since last time I've been meaning to hit you with a pillow."

"Hermione!" Harry shouted before running out of his room.

Snape lifted his pillow and shot a pillow straight at Harry which the boy proceeded to dodge. He was carrying three pillows that were glowing slightly with magic. Harry smirked at him and dropped the first two pillows. Snape almost wished the boy hadn't been training with Godric, the boy was much too good with wandless magic. The first one shot straight at Snape but he side stepped it, then the boy pulled back with his hand and the pillow was yanked back and hit Snape on the back.

The glowing pillow exploded into colorful dust and Snape looked at his back. He gasped his back was now a bright colorful pink. He turned around and growled at the grinning Harry.

"You will suffer for this brat."

"Only if you can catch me." Harry said with a laugh.

The boy's friends appeared at that point carrying a large pile of the magically charged pillows. Snape summoned a couple and threw them at the children. Thus began the pillow fight. The fight continued for some time. All four of them using their magic to fling pillows at one another. All four covered in the instantly dried magical paint the Weasley twins had designed.

Snape was enjoying himself so much he did not notice when someone knocked on his door and opened it. Harry however did. The boy looked at the door and cracked a huge smile. The boy summoned to him three pillows and faced the door.

"It's the headmaster! Get him!"


	27. Awkward Wake Up Call

**Chapter 27! Holy Hades! This is the shortest chapter in the entire story but I needed at least one Albus POV. Review and tell me what you think!**

Albus Dumbledore had been awoken to the unpleasant feeling of his pillow being ripped right out from under him. His head had hit the bed and he had jolted awake. When he had opened his eyes the room had been totally empty. The last time this had happened James Potter had convinced the House Elves to retrieve all the pillows in the castle and relocate them to Gryffindor Tower to supply their giant pillow fight. It had taken hours to disrupt the game partially because each professor who came to end the game ended up joining.

Albus chuckled at that memory and got dressed quickly. He wouldn't put it past Remus Lupin to try and start something like that with Harry. He made his way over to the third floor where Remus Lupin was living. He knocked on the door expecting to hear the shouts of a pillow fight. Instead it was opened to see Lupin drinking his coffee and looking confused.

"Is your pillow gone too?" Albus asked.

"Yes, just a few minutes ago my pillow was just snatched from under my head." Remus said.

"Mine was taken as well. I thought you would have had something to do with it."

"Why would I have anything to do with it?"

"The last time my pillow was stolen in such a fashion was when you and your friends held that pillow fight in your fourth year."

"So the House Elves took our pillows." Remus said smiling at the memory. "But where?"

"I do not know."

"Well Harry knows the House Elves well maybe he asked for them." Remus suggested.

"If that is the case then I believe the boy will most likely be pelting Severus with pillows." Albus said trying to hold back his laughter. "Would you like to come with me to retrieve our pillows?"

"I do believe I would enjoy that Albus." Remus said also trying not to laugh.

The two men practically ran to the dungeons and when they neared Severus' quarters the heard shouts of spell fire and laughter. So certainly a pillow fight. Albus knocked lightly and when it was clear no one was going to open the door he did it himself. Remus followed listening to the familiar shout of Harry.

Albus was stunned by what he saw. Ron and Hermione were here, somehow, and were covered in brightly colored paint. They had magically glowing pillows and were prepared to throw them at both Severus and Harry. Severus was covered in mostly hot pink paint and was getting ready to throw a pillow at Harry. Harry was looking directly at Albus with a dastardly smile on his face.

"It's the headmaster! Get him!"

All four turned and threw their weapons directly at Albus before he could block them. Three of them exploded on impact covering Albus in instantly drying paint. One was a large black splatter on his chest, another a blood red one, and the third a clean white. Albus could hear Remus laughing behind him. Along with that laughter were the giggled of the children. Albus wandlessly picked up a pillow and threw it hard towards Severus. The man dodged it.

"Remus is here too." Albus said quietly.

Harry smiled and sent a pillow flying hard enough so it swung around Albus and hit Remus in the head. The pillow exploded and produced a bright orange paint. The children laughed again. Albus chuckled this time truly appreciating what had happened.

"Well Severus care to explain yourself?"


	28. Embarrassment By Potter

**Chapter 28! Jolly Good News That! I've worked so hard. You've worked so hard really we should give each other handshakes and then go have an ice cream party. Review and tell me how you feel about it.**

In all his years Severus Snape had been embarrassed plenty of times but never as much as this moment. Like many of the times before it the fault lay with a Potter too. He was covered in hot pink paint and caught in the act of a pillow fight with three children, two of which weren't even supposed to be there. Before he could form a response Harry spoke.

"We were having a pillow fight. Severus was losing."

"I was not. You were losing." Severus argued.

"Would a boy with six names lie?

"Yes. Yes he would."

"Six names?" Hermione asked.

"Not important 'Mione." Harry said. "I'll tell you in my next letter but we need to get you home before your parents call the police."

"Oh no my parents! I need to get home immediately. They'll likely be livid with me."

Severus smirked as the little girl ran into Harry's room where her stuff was now sitting. Ron followed meekly after. Albus chuckled lightly and Severus scowled at him. The two children returned moments later dressed and ready to return home. Severus pointed Ron towards his floo.

"I do not wish to meet your mother in the state she will be in when you return." Severus said quietly. "Just use the floo.

"Yes sir. I don't really want to meet her either." Ron agreed before scampering over to the fireplace. "Harry you write me often and I'll see you in September."

"I'll write Ron I promise." Harry said waving his friend goodbye.

"The Burrow." Ron said throwing in the green powder.

Ron disappeared in a rush of green flames and left only Hermione. Snape sighed he would have to take the girl home since her parents were muggles.

"Harry you explain what happened here while I apparate Miss Granger home." Severus said. "Miss Granger follow me here please."

Hermione jumped to follow him and Severus glared at the adults in the room as they walked out. Once they were far enough away from the door he turned to the girl who had blue and silver paint in her hair.

"Miss Granger."

"Yes professor?"  
"If you ever repeat anything I am about to tell you I will know and I will ensure you never pass my class do you understand?" Snape threatened, he waited for her to nod before continuing. "I would like to thank you."

"Thank me?" She said her voice an octave higher than normal.

"Don't interrupt and listen. Harry was distraught after writing you that letter. This past month has not been easy on him. I was unaware he had only now written you and Mr. Weasley. I had thought he had your support during this past month but I was incorrect in that assumption." Snape said trying to get everything out. "Thank you for coming here as quickly as you did. It had not occurred to me how much a visit from you two would help him. I have not seen him this carefree in the entire time I have been looking after him."

"It wasn't a problem sir. Harry is always very serious. It's good to see him so happy. I haven't ever seen him like that either." Hermione confided. "I should be the one thanking you after all. You've really helped Harry, he is much happier than he was before school ended. I'm glad he has an adult he can confide in now."

"Now?"

"Well the only reason we got into all the trouble we got into was because Harry doesn't trust adults. I mean we wouldn't have gone after the Philosophers stone if Harry had trusted the adults to take care of it." Hermione explained. "When Professor McGonagall told us we shouldn't concern ourselves with it and didn't listen to our complaints Harry felt as if he had no choice but to worry about it."

"I see."

"So thank you Professor Snape. For caring about Harry."

Severus nodded and then asked Miss Granger to tell him where she lived. Snape had thankfully been someplace near there and was able to apparate her to within a five minute walk to her home. They walked down the streets in silence both covered in paint and in wizard garb. Snape did not honestly care. He was not looking forward to meeting the esteemed Granger parents under any circumstances. It was however required he ensure the girl got home safely.

They arrived there to see the man with short born hair and glasses working the garden. Hermione smiled.

"Daddy! I'm home."

"Hermione! Sweet heart get over here and tell me all about your adventure before your mother gets home from the store. She was awful mad that you just disappeared on us."

"Daddy this is Professor Snape he brought me home and got Harry from his Uncle's."

The man stood and dusted off his dirty hands on his equally dirty pants. He reached out his hand and Snape shook it. The man smiled lightly at him and nodded as if he had passed some sort of test.

"Thank you for taking my wayward daughter home. I do hope she wasn't much trouble."

"No more so than she is during the school year." Snape remarked. "Now I must be returned to the school, Miss Granger next time you feel the need to break into my quarters please write a letter first so I may be better prepared."

With that Snape turned on his heel and disappeared. Statute of Secrecy be damned he needed a shower. He walked up to the doors of Hogwarts and thought about what he had learned from the visit. Harry was good at potions, he had a natural born gift. Harry had been stressed throughout the entire year and was doing better than he had been, the Weasley twins are bloody geniuses.

When he arrived back at his quarters he saw Harry was now without any paint. He opened the door and walked in. Harry smiled at him. It wasn't everyday one saw Severus Snape in anything besides oppressive black.

"Harry how do you get this paint out?"

"Oh!"

Harry then with a wave of his hand banished the paint off of Severus.

"Sorry Severus. I forgot only the person who cast the charm on the pillows can get rid of the paint. I'm just glad it only lasts 24 hours or else Ron and Hermione would be covered in it until they saw me again."

"They would deserve it. Now it is later than we normally get up you have the beginning of your lessons today."

"That's right! Professor Flitwick is going to teach me to duel!" Harry said excitedly. "Let's go get breakfast."

They ate in silence but it was so different then it had been. Before the silence had been oppressive and tense. Harry wondering when Snape would strike and Snape trying to figure out how to help the boy. Now the silence was companionable. Harry no longer ate defensively in his presence and didn't stare at his hands the entire time. They had made progress.

As Snape watched Harry leave to go to his meeting with Flitwick he couldn't help but feel amazed at the progress he had made with Harry. They used to despise each other, glaring daggers at one another at every opportunity. Now they were eating meals happily together and having pillow fights.

He knew there was that single moment when everything changed. When his life had morphed from relaxing into nerve wracking and insane. He didn't regret anything though. The smile the boy now flashed him when he saw him made all of these changes worth it. The more he thought about it that one moment, when Hedwig had burst into his quarters covered in blood and screeching at him had changed him. It was just one occurrence.


	29. Lesson Number 1

**Chapter 29! Felicitations to all. I am sorry i haven't updated this story in such a long time. Please forgive me! Read and review, Reviews give me life.**

While Snape was considering his changed circumstances Harry was thinking about how great sleep overs were. That was honestly the most fun he had had in a long time. It beat out flying any day. The pillow fight had been brilliant too! He had not expected Severus to join in but the man had. Not only that he had been really good at it. Harry had not felt this silly in a long time, not even pretending to be 8 years old had been as fun as this morning.

"You have your appointment with Flitwick in about ten minutes. Bring your wand and don't do anything too moronic. Your clothing should be arriving sometime today. It will be placed in your room when it arrives."

"Thanks Severus. I'm going to hurry up to Professor Flitwick's classroom now."

Harry did just that, he summoned his wand and ran out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him and Harry made his way to the stairs. When he got there, he knocked on the door. The familiar squeaky voice called him in and Harry opened the door. Flitwick waved him into a chair.

"We'll be doing some magic soon enough but first I need to assess your skill. Please be as honest as possible with these questions."  
"Okay professor."

"Other than the parseltongue do you have any abilities?"

"I don't really know many defensive spells, anything I can do is accidental." Harry mused. "I can do wandless magic but all I know how to do is levitation and summoning charms. I know, because I've read about it, that you can do lots of different spells with this ability. I made some kind of shield this morning but I don't know how I did that."

"A shield charm at your age, phenomenal. What precipitated the shield?"

"Well Ron and Hermione found out I was here and why. I wrote them a letter yesterday about an hour before dinner telling them about what happened. Hermione thought that I really needed to see them cause I was worried about their reactions." Harry said awkwardly. "They showed up last night around 8pm, broke into Severus' quarters and tackled me in a hug."

Flitwick giggled at the image Harry was painting. Harry gave a light smile before continuing the story.

"Well I managed to convince Severus to let them stay the night. This morning Severus woke me up and I was so startled that I shot up pushing Ron off the bed. He threw a pillow at me which I ducked and it hit Hermione. Hermione threw the pillow back at Ron who then tried to throw it at me. I lifted my hand to block the hit but this blue shield appeared and threw the pillow even faster in another direction hitting Severus."

Flitwick laughed again.

"Let me guess. Severus threw a pillow back at you."

"Yeah it was great! We had a huge pillow fight. I got the house elves to bring a bunch of pillows throughout the castle. Hermione, Ron and I charmed some of the pillows to explode on impact into instantly dried paint."

"Oh my. Now I want to hear about this charm."

"Fred and George Weasley created this paint charm that makes any object a paint bomb. It explodes on impact and changes into the targets least favorite color. It's genius!" Harry said. "I changed it a little to make sure it only would explode if it hit a person. I didn't want paint all over Severus' quarters."

"How interesting. Back to the subject at hand. Wandless magic." Flitwick walked over to his bookshelf and removed a book from the bottom shelf. "Everyone's magic, just like their mind is different. We all have different talents or abilities. Our magic works better with some areas of magic while others we struggle in."

Harry nodded, that seemed to make sense. Flitwick opened the book and began looking for a certain page as he did he continued the explanation.

"Some like Professor Sprout or your friend Mr. Longbottom have magic that specializes with the earth and life. Thus herbology will always be his biggest strength. If I were to teach him how to duel I would focus on dueling tactics that use that skill." Flitwick explained. "There are spells that can allow the user to speed up the growth of nearby plants and use them as extensions of themselves. Sort of like having your own personal whomping willow if you will. Mr. Longbottom would work best with those kind of spells. That is not to say he couldn't use other types of magic but I like to focus on people's strengths."

"That makes sense. Does that mean anyone can learn wandless magic? Some just do it more instinctively than others?"

"Exactly right Mr. Potter. The ability to use wandless magic naturally like you do has to do with the shape of your magical core. It doesn't have much to do with your strength as a wizard contrary to popular belief. The weakest wizard can be excellent at wandless magic if his core is the right shape and the strongest can be awful at it."

"Magical cores can be different shapes?"

"Yes. That's what this book is for so I can show you what shape yours most likely is. Did you tell me about all the things you can do?"

"Oh I almost forgot! I can change my shape, a metamorphagus. That's the word. Also if I'm injured and I don't pay attention my magic kind of rushes in and heals me. It uses most of my magic but when it finishes I'm good as new."

"Those are useful skills." Flitwick commented sounding slightly surprised. "Ah here it is. Look at this image."

The man flipped the book around and slid it over to Harry. On the two pages were illustrations of the human body. It was at the muscular level so you could see the major muscle groups of the two men. One man, the one on the left had a shimmering blue line in the shape of a cylinder in his chest. The man on the right had a blue shimmering line that kept changing shapes morphing like a snake.

"What does this mean?"

"The one on the left represents a wizard or witch whose core is very rigid and stable. This core is very strong good with transfigurations. This is because they have rigidity of magic to force one thing into another shape according to their will. Your father had such a core as does Professor McGonagall. Your father could and did transfigure anything."

"But what about the animagus transformation? Wouldn't a rigid core make that kind of change difficult?"

"Yes and no. Rigid cores do fight against changes that would affect itself but if the wizard in question picked an animal form that fit perfectly with their core and personality they would find the transformation impossibly easy." Flitwick said thoughtfully.

"Oh so my dad's form fit perfectly with him? That's pretty cool." Harry murmured. "What about the person on the right?"

"This is the other extreme. This is a witch or wizard who has a very fluid core. A person like yourself has a very fluid core. Yours is probably the most fluid I've ever come across. People with fluid cores find their skills in different areas. Professor Sprout's core reaches out into her hands which means when she works with her hands her magic interacts with the plants. Professor Snape's core does the same but his deals with potions instead of plants. A person's core can have the same shape but a different specialization."

"Well what do I specialize in?" Harry asked.

"Based on what you've told me I can only guess. You seem to have a lot of contradicting skills. My best idea is that your core stretches out to your skin. It would be like that blue line just outlining the body in the illustration. Most people who have the metamorphagus ability have a core like that. It is similar for people with a natural inclination for wandless magic as well. It is rare to see both in a person but you are a special case I presume." Flitwick said with a rueful smile.

"So how does that help us?"

"I am going to teach you to focus your core shape. It will help you control what your wandless magic does."

"Okay." Harry said nodding that made sense.

Thus began their lesson. He found it very similar to building occulmency shields but much more exhausting since he had to do it awake. Instead of meditating in his mind he had to focus his meditation on something he had never seen before. His core. Sure he used his magic every day and it was a part of him but it was like trying to locate a tiny organ that he knew was in his chest but not exactly where.

When lunch time arrived Harry had yet to successfully focus his core. Flitwick however felt that Harry had made great process and was very optimistic.

"Your concentration and control are extraordinary. This is a difficult skill I would consider it a major success if you were able to focus your core by the end of the summer. Don't get discouraged by what seems like lack of progress. You are making more progress than I expected. Meditate every night and you'll get it."

Flitwick said this as they walked into the great hall for lunch. Harry had an appointment with Professor McGonagall after lunch. She was already there eating. As was Remus and Severus. Both Remus and the headmaster had changed their clothing but the paint on their skin and hair was still very bright. Flitwick giggled.

"Hello Severus." Harry said waving a hand at the man who was trying not to laugh at his colleagues.

The man waved back and Harry sat down next to him. Remus looked at him with a pleading expression.

"Harry. Please get rid of this paint!"

"I don't know if I can sir. Only the person who charmed the pillow can get rid of the paint early." Harry said with a grin. "Ron and Hermione charmed a bunch of the pillows too."

"So I'm stuck with an orange head?"

"It only last 24 hours. So you'll just have to wait till tomorrow morning. The Weasley twins charms are both crazy and extremely reliable."

Remus scowled but the headmaster seemed to take the news in stride. He merely nodded in Harry's direction and went back to his meal. Harry kept himself from giggling by telling Severus what he had done with Flitwick. The man also seemed impressed but Harry didn't think it was all that amazing. He hadn't done anything after all. Lunch was composed of a soup and sandwich mix. Harry ate but every time he glanced at Remus and or the headmaster he would smirk.

Harry followed McGonagall to her office where she had a desk set up. He sat down as she motioned him into it. She sat down in her own desk.

"The goal here is for you to learn control is it not?"

"Yes professor."

"Well then we will do drills."

The drills were extensive torture. At least to Harry. Transfiguration had never been Harry's strongest subject. Really he had only inherited his Dad's skill of flying. The drills were simple in concept but difficult in practice. She would give him a simple task like turning needles into match sticks. He would have to do that as many times as possible within a minute long timespan. If he didn't do it enough times and to her specifications he would do it again and again until he did. It was exhausting and after his two hour lesson Harry felt dead on his feet.

"Dinner is in three hours Mr. Potter. I suggest you read or some other relaxing pursuit during the interim."

"That's a good idea professor. This was really exhausting."

"Mr. Potter. If this training continues through your summers here as I imagine it will. I believe I can eventually teach you to become an animagus."

Harry was instantly alert. He really wanted to do that.

"When? My dad started to learn when he was a third year. It took him two whole years and I want to do it quicker than him!"

"I am aware of your father's and his friend's actions." McGonagall said with a grin. "They weren't very sneaky as third years so I watched from a distance. As it is I wouldn't attempt to help you with the transformation until your third year depending on your aptitude for the subject. If you continue working hard I foresee no problem helping you."

"Really? That's awesome! How long do you think it would take?"

"The entire process alone takes years of work. With a trained adult here to help you 6 to 9 months. If we began at the beginning of your third year you would have your form down by the end of it."

"Professor if you knew my dad was doing that why let him? Isn't it dangerous to do on your own?"

"It is. Your father and his friends were very stupid to do it on their own. However I knew why they were doing it though and your father was a transfigurations genius. I knew that he would be able to do it. I kept a close eye on them however. They were never truly without supervision."

"You watched them?"

"I use my cat form for more than just surprising students."

"Did you get to see them in their forms?"

"No. I had another meeting to be at the night they transformed and after that they no longer needed my supervision. At that point they had become much more secretive and I never saw them at it again."

"Thanks professor. I'll see you at dinner."

"Make sure to rest Harry!"

"Yes professor."

Harry walked slowly back down to the dungeons. Severus wasn't there when he got there, Harry assumed he was brewing. He walked into his room and found some bulky packages. The clothing had arrived. He smiled and began unpacking his clothing. He roughly removed the rags he had been forced to wear all his life and threw them on the floor. He dressed himself in a red t-shirt and some blue jeans.

It was strange to look at himself in clothing that actually fit. He still looked pretty thin but no longer did he look starved. He began putting his clothing away. His belongings had slowly drifted out of his trunk and into other parts of the room. The house elves had cleaned up the destructive mess he had caused a couple of nights ago pretty quickly. They had taken it upon themselves to unpack his belongings at the same time.

Once everything was away Harry flipped on his music player and relaxed in his bed. He felt very tired. So tired that it was rather easy to drift off to sleep. Severus woke him in time for dinner thankfully. The man teased him about his nap but Harry ignored it, it was a well deserved nap after all. Dinner was enjoyable and they had their tea time after words. Harry actually had a question for the man this time.

"So tomorrow is Draco's birthday party thing."

"Yes."

"Do I have to get him a gift?"


End file.
